


His Heart's Call

by maromess



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec is smitten, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - The Selection Fusion, Angst, Drama, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hurt Magnus Bane, I think?, M/M, Prince Alec Lightwood, Prince Magnus Bane, Princes & Princesses, Romance, first chapter is the prologue, glitttteeeerrrrrrr, golden eyeliner ftw, hopefully: Slow burn, knowing the author, magnus is beautiful af, probably won't be slow at all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-05-02 08:03:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maromess/pseuds/maromess
Summary: Alexander Gideon Lightwood, crown prince of Idris, has just turned twenty-four. Which means that the time for The Selection has come; a few months long event in which the crown prince must choose his bride.However, this particular Selection is different. In order to stop the war that has been brewing because of the disagreements between Robert, King of Idris, and Asmodeus, King of Edom, the Selection will not only include the People of Idris, but will also include other kingdoms as well. Another new rule was that there would be no gender-restrictions on this Selection, contrary to Idris’ traditions. The reason for this rule was that King Asmodeus of Edom only had sons.Would he follow his heart? Or stick to what others say is his duty?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, I'm back with my first chaptered fic! I have always loved "The Selection" series by Kierra Cass, and I always wanted a Malec version, with royals and castles and good food and-- you know. So I decided I would do it myself. 
> 
> As mentioned above, it's loosely based on The Selection series, I only used the idea of the selection process. But the rest of the story would be different. There won't be a classification system like in the books, and if you haven't read the books then it's totally fine cause I explain stuff as I go.
> 
> I have already written a few chapters, and I thought I would start uploading this. This chapter is basically the prologue/introduction so it's short as hell, but if you guys like it and want me to continue uploading please do tell me by leaving comments and/or kudos. 
> 
> I don't have a beta, so I do all my proofreading by myself. Excuse any mistakes as english is not my first language *hides*
> 
> You can find me on twitter @[maromess](https://twitter.com/maromess). If you're into live-tweeting please use #HHCfic so I can keep track. (Though I don't expect to get much so yeah x'D)
> 
> Anyways, sorry for this long note! Enjoy the PRoLoGuE and tell me what you think! lol
> 
> \- Mar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Announcement.

Alexander Gideon Lightwood, crown prince of Idris, has just turned twenty-four. Which means that the time for The Selection has come; a few months long event in which the crown prince must choose his bride.

However, this particular Selection is different. In order to stop the war that has been brewing because of the disagreements between Robert, King of Idris, and Asmodeus, King of Edom, the Selection will not only include the People of Idris, but will also include other kingdoms as well. Another new rule was that there would be no gender-restrictions on this Selection, contrary to Idris’ traditions. The reason for this rule was that King Asmodeus of Edom only had sons.

Five people from each Kingdom will be selected, one would be from the royal court, while the other four will be selected from a raffle draw which will include all suitable bachelors and bachelorettes from the kingdom.

Therefore, Prince Magnus was selected from the Royal Court of Edom. A noblewoman named Lilith, the Royal Healer Catarina Loss, an artist named Dorothea and a musician by the name of Cruella were picked through the raffle draw.

Idris’ Selected were Lady Lydia Branwell from the royal court of Idris, and from the raffle, amusician named Allard Everheart, a noble lady named Helen Blackthorn, a tailor named Camillia and a baker named Jasmine. 

From the Kingdom of Jade Moon, Princess Clarissa was chosen. Princess Clary was the adoptive daughter of King Luke of Jade Moon; wherein Luke married Jocelyn of Idris, making her Queen Consort of Jade Moon. As for the raffle, it was Countess Maia Roberts, an architect named Irvin Lesnar, a dancer named Ralph and a designer named Gretel.

From the Crimson Night Kingdom, Princess Camille was chosen, and with her were General Simon Lewis, a pianist named Raphael Santiago, a nobleman named Alucard Moncourt and a cook named Tiana Bryans.

Fae Land’s selected royalty was Prince Meliorn, and from the raffle; a nobleman named Caspian Lovechild, a butcher named Kaelie Crooks and two more noblewomen named Amelia Faelian and Clara Crayon.

Prince Alexander would have to choose one of the Selected to become his spouse and rule the vast lands of Idris by his side.


	2. Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New rules, a glimmer of hope and family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so excited, I thought I would just upload the first chapter today!
> 
> You can find me on twitter @[maromess](https://twitter.com/maromess). Use #HHCfic for live-tweeting! <3
> 
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated, please do leave them cause I love hearing your thoughts and they're basically food for my soul.
> 
> \- Mar

Alec didn’t really concentrate on the names that were being listed to him, all that was running through his mind was the fact that this selection was open.

All his life he had to deny himself, to shove his own feelings and desires deep down because he knew it wasn’t okay, he would never be allowed to have what his heart desired. He knew that someday he would eventually have his own selection, and even though it gave him the semblance of having a _choice_ , he always knew he didn’t really have one. He would be forced to marry a woman, sire heirs and live miserably for the rest of his life. All he ever hoped for was to at least be comfortable with his future queen, and if possible, being friends with her would have also been good for him.

But now, the only thing he was hearing was “No gender restrictions.”. He wanted to scream in joy, shout it out for everyone to hear and if possible do a happy dance in the middle of the Council Room.

He tried his best to keep his face as impassive as possible, concealing the joy he felt bubbling deep down like he was always used to.

He kept his eyes on the royal secretary as he read out the rest of the rules that have been modified to adjust the new conditions given by the other Kingdoms, as well as the names of the Selected.

As soon as the royal secretary was done reading out everything, he looked up from the list at King Robert.

Alec chanced a glance to his father; throughout the secretary’s speech, Alec was able to feel the anger radiating from him in waves. His father’s face was red with anger, the vein in his forehead popping out as he clenched his jaw shut and rubbed his eyes.

Alec kept his gaze on his father, realizing just how much the other Kingdoms’ conditions were weighting down on him. Even though Robert was the strongest King in all the lands, he was still adamant on smoothing out the relations between all the Kingdoms. He wanted to be the one that united all of them, he wanted his name to be passed down in history as the wisest King of Idris.

Robert gestured with his hand for the secretary to leave, and he scrambled out of the room after bowing to the royal family.

Silence settled in the Council Room, enveloping Alec and gripping his neck like a death grip. He glanced between his parents, waiting for one of them to say something.

“This is absolutely revolting.” King Robert muttered, looking at his Queen. “Adding other Kingdoms into The Selection was one thing, but asking for no gender restrictions? That is absurd!” his voice was rising in anger, and Alec honestly feared for his father’s blood pressure.

Maryse reached out, patting Robert’s hand with hers. “I understand your anger, but remember that this is, after all, for the greater good.” she said quietly, then she glanced back at Alec. “And there are multiple suitable brides in the selection for Alec to choose from.”

Alec felt his heart sink, of course his parents wouldn’t approve.

Robert glanced at Alec. “Of course. We will just have to humor them for a while.” he gave Alec a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Bear with it, son.” 

“Of course.” he answered, shutting out his emotions and trying his best not to let them rear up.

“I am so sorry the number of girls is lower this time though, son.” Maryse said, looking at him sympathetically. “Do try to keep at least one man in there till the end though.”

And just like that, the small glimmer of hope that ignited in his soul was put out in an instant.

“Yes, Mother.”

———

Walking around the very busy palace, Alec took note of the servants coming and going, with so much luggage in their hands. They were running left and right, trying to make the place as suitable as could be for their guests. This was the busiest Monday ever. He knew that the Selected would be arriving tomorrow morning, and would be spending the whole day being groomed and readied for the weekly Report that will take place on Friday night, two days after he will meet them. 

Alec had a certain fondness for the Report; he liked having this connection with the rest of the Kingdom every week. There was something about the fact that the royal family would be live on television for the whole Kingdom to see, discussing various news and topics, that made it feel like they were more connected with their people. And what would make the Report even more enjoyable in the following weeks is the fact that The Selection segment would be aired live for other Kingdoms to see as well.

He headed towards the Queen’s Hall, where the Selected would be spending most of their free time, it was also the place where Alec would get to meet them on Wednesday morning, giving him some time to get to know them before the Report. He peeked inside and was astonished at how different it looked, instead of the usual couches and plush sofas, there were mirrors lining the walls, with vanity tables and some kind of beauty chairs. He didn’t even know what half the stuff was.

As he made his way inside to take a closer look at the change of decor, he pumped into one of the servants who was carrying a big box with the word DYE scribbled on it.

She stumbled and he reached out to stop her from falling with his left hand, taking a hold of the box with his other hand just as it was about to fall down. “Careful.” he said, noting how her eyes widened as she realized who she pumped into, her eyes growing double in size and her face was scarlet red.

“Y-Your Highness!” she stumbled backwards, one of her hands covering her mouth. “I-I am so sorry! I could not see where I was going!”

He smiled at her, “It’s okay. Where do you need this?” he asked as he nodded towards the box he was holding.

“I couldn’t possibly—”

“I already said it was okay.” he chuckled, “So?” he inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

The poor maid gestured towards one of the vanity tables, following him as he placed the box down. “Thank you very much, Your Highness.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

She hid a giggle behind her hand, and when he looked at her questioningly, she said, “You must be very excited for The Selection to come here and take a look at the hall.”

 _Not anymore_ , he thought. “I suppose.” he forced a smile, hoping that the servant won’t be able to tell the difference. “I should go, and you should be more careful. Don’t pick up boxes larger than you.”

She bowed and thanked him again as he left.

———

When he entered his chambers with an envelope containing all of the Selected and their information, he saw his sister, Princess Isabelle, pacing around in his Sitting Room. A frown marring her face. “Where have you been?” she asked as she continued pacing.

“Taking a walk?” he answered, “What’s wrong?”

Isabelle sighed, sitting down on one of the couches and covering her face with her hands. “How many times did I tell you not to walk around without Jace? Especially not during this week!”

“I can take care of myself.” he answered, annoyed. Jace, his childhood friend, was now his Knight. Every member of the royal family was supposed to have their own Knight, to be their shadow and to protect them at all times. Alec hated that, he knew he could fight off anyone that would want to cause him harm.

Angel, he beat Jace all the time when they were sparring.

“I know you can, but what if you were caught unaware?” she questioned him, standing up with both hands on her hips. “There are way too many people in the palace right now and I really don’t want anything bad to happen to you!” 

He sighed, “Fine. Where’s Jace anyway?”

“That’s exactly my point!” she yelled back, “Your Knight doesn’t even know where you are half the time! For the Angel’s sake Alec, just—”

She was interrupted when the door was opened, and Jace made his way inside. He slapped a hand on Alec’s shoulder, giving him a nasty look to show his displeasure.

“Alright, Isabelle. I am sorry, starting tomorrow I will not go anywhere without Jace.” he said, rolling his eyes at her overprotectiveness.

“Not tomorrow, Alec. Now.”

He nodded, waving her off as he went to sit on the armchair facing her, he placed the envelope on the side table next to him.

Jace followed him and sat down next to Isabelle.

When they were alone, Jace didn’t treat Alec and Isabelle as anything more than siblings. Alec liked that about him; not letting the difference in their status change his behavior towards them.

“So, how was the meeting with our parents?” Isabelle asked, not beating around the bush.

“Well, at first I hated it, then I was really happy with the conditions of the other Kingdoms, but then Mother and Father ruined it.” he mumbled, playing with the cufflinks of his suit jacket.

Jace and Isabelle shared a concerned look.

“What do you mean?” Jace asked.

“There will be no gender restrictions in The Selection.” he answered, looking up at them to gauge their reactions.

Isabelle’s face brightened, her mouth forming a wide smile. “Really?”

“Alec! That’s great!” Jace said, grinning at him.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too.” he answered grimly.

“Oh no. What did they do?” his sister asked as she noticed his dimmed expression.

“They asked me to ‘ _bear with it.’_ ” he rubbed his temples, trying to drive away the headache he could feel coming, “They won’t be okay with me choosing a man.”

Isabelle stood up, walking towards him and kneeling down in front of him. She took his hands in hers, “Big brother, you can choose whoever you want. You don’t have to humor them.”

Alec rubbed the back of her hands with his thumbs, “I can’t, Izzy.” he hated how helpless his voice sounded at that moment.

“Alec. This is the opportunity we were waiting for.” Jace said, “All the other Kingdoms allow same sex marriages! You can change Idris too, for the better!”

“You didn’t see them, Jace.” Alec looked up at his Knight. “They want me to choose a _bride_.”

“So, what? They want you to send all the Selected guys home?” Jace’s disgust was apparent on his face.

“No, they want me to keep a handful of them in to placate the public.” Alec sighed, “‘ _Humor them’_ , Father said.”

“That’s not fair! Not to you and not to them!” Isabelle screeched.

“When I brought up the same concern, Mother said that I didn’t need to worry about it, as I’ll only need to keep Lydia in there till the end.”

“Lydia?!” they both exclaimed.

“Yep. Mother selected her from the Court.” he gestured towards the envelope he had, “All of them are there. Twenty-five Selected, five from each Kingdom.”

“May I?” Isabelle reached for the envelope at his nod, pulling out the files inside.

“I haven’t really concentrated on who they were, I was too focused on the gender rule.” he said, wringing his fingers together. “Thought I’d study the files before I meet them the day after tomorrow.”

“Well, we’ll help you out. Right, Jace?”

Jace nodded and they started fanning the papers out.

 

They spent the next three hours looking over the files, Isabelle and Jace gave him their thoughts on the participants and who they thought he would like. Jace pointed out that all of them were really beautiful, especially Jade Moon’s princess, but his eyes kept darting back to the Crimson Night General’s photo.

Alec hummed next to him, his eyes refusing to leave a certain prince’s picture. He looked amazing, his bronze skin paired with his jet black hair. His piercing gaze and the glittery golden eyeliner underlining his eyes were causing butterflies to rage in his stomach.

Isabelle leaned her head on his shoulder, “He’s so dreamy.” she sighed.

“I know. How is he even real?” he answered absentmindedly.

Isabelle let out a giggle that snapped him out of his thoughts and he immediately put the picture back down, frowning at himself for slipping up.

“Who?” Jace asked, snatching the photo and studying it closely. He raised an eyebrow at Alec, a small smirk adorning his full lips. “Edom’s Magnus Bane?”

Alec cleared his throat and started collecting the files, making sure not to mix them up as he did it. “It doesn’t matter.” He put all of them back in the envelope and slid it onto the coffee table.

They frowned at him, and he tried to avoid their gazes, knowing they’d give him another long lecture.

“I hope Wednesday goes well.” he said.

“It will.” Isabelle assured him, pulling him into a hug. “I wish I could go to the Queen’s Hall tomorrow and scout them out, but Mother forbid any of us from going there. She said you had to meet them first.”

“It’s okay, thank you, Izzy.” he said, then pressed a kiss on her forehead.

After a few quiet moments, he pulled away from the hug. “We should probably go to the Great Hall for dinner.”

Before they got up, Alec felt Jace’s hand on his shoulder. “Alec, promise me you’ll be fair and give them all a chance.” he said, looking into his eyes. “Give yourself a chance, please.”

Alec knew that his sister and his knight wanted the best for him, they wanted him to be happy and they thought that this whole situation and the conditions they were given were a blessing. They thought it was his chance to find real happiness, and that maybe he could find it if he tried. Especially if his people and the other Kingdoms backed him up.

Alec didn’t agree with them. These conditions and rules would only remind him of what he really wanted and could never have. He still wasn’t convinced, nor did he have any faith.

He just smiled at them and nodded. White lies won’t hurt anyone, would they?

He would have to choose a bride, after all. Not a groom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides* 
> 
> Do yell at me.


	3. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfair decisions, a beautiful castle and koi fish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! You guys have no idea how many times I wanted to just upload this and not wait for Thursday. But I need to learn self-control so this is good practice lmao. 
> 
> I don't have a beta, please be kind. And point out any mistakes I might have made so I can fix them! c:
> 
> As usual, #HHCfic for live-tweeting and please do leave kudos and comments :) 
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> \- Mar

“Like hell I would ever do that!”

Magnus stormed out of the Council Room, feeling incredibly upset. He had just found out that his father had petitioned him off to Idris, of all places, to be paraded as a fucking potential spouse for their crown prince. And to be paid monthly as long as he stays there? What the actual hell? Like hell he would do that, never in his life had he ever felt this humiliated!

He wasn’t a pawn for his father to use whenever he desired, especially not when it was something as life-changing as this! Not to mention that he was still recovering from a broken heart, he didn’t have the time nor the energy to even think of participating in something as ridiculous as this.

All he wanted to do was to lock himself in his chambers and drink his pain away.

He walked into his chambers, slamming the door shut behind him.

As he reached his vanity, he started taking off his multiple rings and necklaces. Cursing when one of them got stuck on a loose thread on the back of his shirt.

Two knocks sounded at the door, and he heard his page announcing Catarina. He turned around when his door was opened and Catarina, the royal healer, came in. She was one of his closest friends. They met when she came to the Castle as the new healer a few years ago, after the previous one mysteriously disappeared, and they clicked ever since, becoming best friends in no time at all.

“You heard?”

She smiled sadly at him, “Yes.” she made her way closer, and turned his back towards her in order to help him untangle his necklace.

He sighed as she gently worked her hands on the chain, “I hate him.” he admitted, not clarifying whom he was talking about.

“I know.”

“I don’t know what gives him the right to treat my entire existence as a pawn for his own satisfaction!” he blurted, feeling immensely used and tired. He was trying his best not to tear up at that moment. 

“I’m so sorry, Magnus.” she said.

They were quiet for a few moments, until she let out a quiet ‘ _yes!’_ when she successfully got the chain disentangled. She handed it to him and he smiled sadly at her, knowing that it didn’t matter how much he’d protest, his father would send him to Idris either way. He hung his necklace up on one of the racks, not wanting it to tangle up again.

“Well! Look at the bright side,” Catarina started, looking at his reflection in the mirror. “I’m going with you.”

“What?” he frowned as he turned around to face her.

“My name was drawn.” she clarified, looking resigned.

“What about Ragnor?!” he screeched, not believing that she would leave the love of her life for some prince. A prince of Idris, to top it off!

“That’s the first time you’ve called him by his name.” she pointed out, letting out a small chuckle. “Don’t worry, though. I talked to him, and he said I should go. He couldn’t live with himself if he _‘deprived me of this opportunity for a better life’_ ” she mockingly air-quoted him, looking down at her hands sadly afterwards.

“But you love him, my dear.” he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“It’s not like I have a choice, Magnus.” she said, brows drawn together in a frown. “I’m gonna tell that pompous prince that I’m not interested anyways. Or I might just do something really stupid like poison his drink.”

Magnus couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Please do.”

“We’ll just have to stick with each other, and enjoy these few weeks away from Asmodeus.” she stated, there was a twinkle in her eyes that he recognized, she was up to no good and she wasn’t sorry in the least.

“You’re right, darling,” he smiled at her, “I guess we do deserve a break from him.” he finished with a flourish of his hand.

“Well, we better start packing, huh?”

He smiled at her, deciding to make the most out of this. Maybe a change of scenery would help ease the ache of his broken heart. “I suppose so.”

———

As soon as they left the airport in Idris, Magnus was astonished by the crowd that was awaiting them. Some of them were holding signs, welcoming Catarina and the other Selected that were with them. As he scanned the crowd, he caught sight of a man with a rainbow colored band around his head, he was looking at Magnus like he couldn’t believe that this was actually happening.

Magnus felt a twinge of pride swell in his heart, as much as he hated this whole ordeal, he supposed that it will give an opportunity for Idris to move forward; allowing the people to be more open about who they were; embracing their whole being.

Nothing felt as good as being accepted, and Magnus wanted that for the people of Idris. 

They navigated through the crowd, Magnus couldn’t really keep up with what was happening, but he saw a few people asking Catarina for her autograph, and a little girl was grinning as Catarina hugged her.

It was a blur of signing, talking and smiling to the public. Magnus heard his name being called from a few directions, he would turn and wave at them as he continued walking towards the limousine that was waiting for them.

He entered the limousine and it took off, heading towards the palace.

 

By the time they entered the palace, it was early afternoon. Magnus took in how huge and bright it was. There were glass windows everywhere, and the interior looked like it was made from gold. There were engravings on the ceiling and the walls were striped in white and gold. Golden vases with white roses lined the side tables, everything about the palace screamed money.

“It’s certainly different from your castle, isn’t it?” Catarina asked him, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Everything is ten times brighter and more cheerful,” he answered her, his gaze lingering on the paintings on the walls. “And it is not my castle, dear. It’s my Father’s.”

“It will be yours someday.” she answered him.

“No, it won’t. It will be Azazel’s.”

He noticed all the people walking about, everyone was frantically running back and forth. A lady walked towards them, he assumed she was the Chamberlain.

“Hello. I am Juliana Wordsworth, the Chamberlain of this Palace.” Magnus gave himself a pat on the back, he’d recognize that snobby poise anywhere. “Please follow me quickly into the Queen’s Hall where you will be attended to, your group is the last one to arrive and everyone else is already getting ready.”

“Here we go.” Catarina said, linking her arm through his as they followed Juliana.

As they walked to the Queen’s Hall, she pointed out the big Library where she will be overlooking their studies _‘The future Queen of Idris has to be knowledgable in all areas, especially Idris’ history.’_ he rolled his eyes so hard as she said ‘Queen’, knowing right then that he’s not going to like her.

She showed them the Great Hall where they would be having their meals starting Thursday with the Royal Family, informing them that their meals will be delivered to their rooms today and tomorrow.

“You will be assigned three maids each, they will take care of your wardrobe, your food, your baths and all your other needs. A guard will be placed in front of each of your rooms at night to ensure your safety.”

“More like insure we don’t sneak out to murder the Royal family while they slept.” Magnus whispered to Catarina, causing her to giggle.

They finally reached the Queens hall, and they made their way inside to find the other groups of Selected already getting primped and made up. Catarina was abruptly pulled from his side and placed on one of the chairs.

Magnus noticed the many cameramen around the room, documenting everything that was happening, no doubt for the stupid Report they were briefed about before coming here. They were told that they won’t be here the whole time, they would only document the first week for the Report, and the weeks after that the Selection segment of the Report would only include interviews with the selected. Those interviews will be conducted by Andrew Underhill, who was a very famous celebrity in Idris.

A rather short maid with brown hair and brown eyes came up to him and asked him to follow her, she guided him to one of the chairs and asked him to sit down. “They will be with you shortly.” she whispered quietly before curtsying and scrambling away.

One of the stylists made her way to him, looking him up and down before smiling and saying “To be completely honest, Your Highness, I don’t see anything that needs fixing.”

Magnus smirked at her, “I know. But I was thinking of adding some blond highlights to the tips of my hair, what do you think?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” she said before gesturing for one of her assistants to bring her the needed equipment.

 

As Dania —the stylist— worked on Magnus, a few of her assistants were working on his nails, giving him the gold glittery color he asked for. As they worked, Magnus’ mind began to wander. He wondered how long he’d be staying here, probably as long as they can keep him, as he was Asmodeus’ son after all. He hoped that he wouldn’t hate it here, wanting and hoping that it will be as enjoyable as possible. He really needed a break from his father and from his broken heart, and being here would hopefully help him forget, even if it was for a little while.

“Okay, we’re done.” Dania said, smiling at him, extremely satisfied with her work. “You can go get your photo taken.” when each selected was done with their makeover, they were asked to take an “after” photo for the Report. 

After they were all done taking the pictures, the sky was already darkening outside, he presumed it must have been around 6PM.

They were all ushered into another room—near where the Library was—that was arranged to look like a classroom, there were twenty-five seats with small desks attached to them. Magnus and Catarina sat at the back of the room, looking expectantly at Juliana as she stood at the front with a white board behind her. She flipped it to show a lot, _a lot_ , of sentences scribbled on it. She began by telling them what they can and what they can’t do, listing different scenarios as she went along.

“No one will get any special treatment, no matter your rank or standing, you will all be equal in regards to Prince Alexander. You will not ask Prince Alexander for an audience, he is the one who will approach you for conversations or outings.” Magnus snorted at that, causing Juliana to look in his general direction with a disapproving glare while fixing her red glasses. “That is not proper behavior for a bride-to-be. Whoever that was will learn proper etiquette.”

Juliana turned back to face the rest of the room, nose high up in the air. “There will be no violence amongst the selected, anyone, and I mean _anyone_ , who behaves violently towards someone else would be immediately sent home.” Juliana continued, “One more thing, and this should be pretty obvious, no romantic relationships are allowed. As you are all here for Prince Alexander, and he shall be the only one whom you will show your affection towards.”

Magnus rolled his eyes, _of course_ they can’t have any relationships, while the pompous prince had twenty-five all at once.

Juliana kept on listing more rules and other information, and despite his lack of enthusiasm; Magnus was paying attention. That is, until Juliana said “You will not be allowed outside of the castle walls, if you need something, or if you require a certain item, you will add it to a list and it will be brought to you on Fridays.”

“So, we’re basically prisoners here?” a voice drawled out and Magnus instantly felt the earth shaking beneath his feet. He turned towards the voice, and saw her right there, sitting in the back corner of the room. Her beautiful hair, her gorgeous smile and her cold eyes.

Camille.

His vision started blurring with anger, his blood thrumming in his veins. He felt Catarina’s hand settling on his, squeezing his hand in hers. He looked at her, taking a deep breath and then exhaling slowly, he can’t show any reactions here, he can’t let her know how much she affected him. _He can’t._

He couldn’t concentrate on what Juliana was saying anymore, all that he could do was focus on the sound of his own heart, thumbing in his ears. He tried to calm himself down, taking deep breaths as he waited for the damn thing to be over with.

He needed to get away from _her._ After two hours had passed and just as he started feeling slightly calmer, Juliana signaled the end of their little briefing. Magnus immediately stood up to leave, Catarina close on his heels.

As they made their way out, they found several maids standing by the door. The short brown-haired maid from earlier came to Magnus and asked him to follow her, while another blonde-haired maid went to Catarina.

Magnus followed her through the palace, and up a set of grand stairs into what seemed to be the living quarters. He wanted to look around and take in his surrounding, but after seeing _her_ he couldn’t bring himself to look at anything. She ushered him into one of the rooms and as soon as he entered he noticed that there were two other maids in there.

The brown-haired maid introduced herself to him, “Your Highness, I’m Marianne and these two are Sophia and Fiona.” she gestured towards the other two, “We will be your personal maids here, we will help you out with whatever you need.”

Magnus forced a smile at them, “Nice to meet you, all.”

Magnus took in his surroundings, listening to Marianne as she talked about their duties and what they can all do for him. His chambers were by no means small, but they weren’t as big as his own back in his father’s castle. They were in what seemed to be a lounge area, with bookshelves around, couches and a few tables. There were paintings on the walls of angels and breathtaking views, and a door that led to a balcony. He could see a double door on the right that he assumed was the bedroom.

Fiona gestured towards a small dining table that was covered with a variety of dishes, “Dinner, Your Highness.” she said quietly.

He shook his head, “Leave it, I’ll eat later.”

He walked over to the double doors, opening them to see a huge bedroom, with a queen-sized bed, there was a balcony here too, as big as the one in the lounge area, and there was a huge vanity table and a very spacious closet. Marianne ushered him to stand facing the vanity, and they started undressing him and helping him get ready for the night. “We must take your measurements, Your Highness.” she said as she held out a measuring tape. “We need to get started on designing and tailoring your new clothes.”

He heard a door open, and turned to the direction of the sound to find Sophia coming out of what he presumed was the bathroom, as he heard water running inside.

“Your bath is ready, Your Highness.” she mumbled.

“Thank you, dear.” he smiled at her. She was the smallest of the three, and she looked absolutely terrified.

After he was done bathing and getting dressed, his maids asked him to eat once more. But he refused and assured them he’d eat later on.

“You can leave.” he dismissed them, tone polite.

The three shared a concerned look, “One of us is expected to stay in the lounge area, Your Highness. In case you needed anything.” Marianne answered.

“I don’t need anything, and if I do, I can take care of myself. Please leave.” he repeated.

The three girls curtsied and then made their way out of his rooms, he hoped he didn’t scare them, and made a mental note to apologize to them come morning.

He sighed, flopping down on his bed. His silky pajamas felt too confining, and he was beginning to worry that he would start hyperventilating. His chest already felt tight and he just needed some fresh air. Camille being here wasn’t good at all, he came here to forget his troubles, not to relive them.

He stood up, taking off his shirt and grabbing the silk matching robe Marianne left draped on the back of an armchair. He slipped it on, and moved towards the door, needing to be out of this place.

He didn’t find the guard that was supposed to be outside his door, and started thanking every deity he could think of for that; as he was sure they wouldn’t let him walk around alone this time of night.

He made his way down the stairs, through the grand halls and into one of the many gardens. He took a deep breath as soon as he was out, finding it significantly easier to breathe. There were many flowers in this garden, all of them looked absolutely breathtaking. And there was also a small pond with an arched bridge over it, and upon looking at it closely Magnus was able to tell it was a koi pond.

There was a garden bench close to the pond, with a small outdoor lamp that illuminated the water, giving it a nice golden shimmer. He sat down on the bench, keeping his gaze on the pond and trying his best not to think of Camille.

Camille who broke his heart.

Camille whom he was ready to give up everything for.

Camille whose presence made him feel whole and happy.

Camille who cheated on him, multiple times, without him ever suspecting a thing.

Camille who used and abused him.

Camille whom he thought was the love of his life.

He felt his eyes tearing up, yet again. Camille broke him, in so many ways. He had thought she was the one for him, his one and only. Until that day he walked in on her, in the throes of passion, tangled up with another. Someone who wasn’t him.

He wasn’t _it_ for Camille.

He sniffled, bringing his hand up to his face, trying not to cry out loud. He shouldn’t cry, _dammit_. Camille wasn’t worth his tears.

But there was just so much pain. So many things left unsaid, and so many questions unanswered. He let his hands fall from his face, giving up the fight against his tears. Looking up at the moon, he promised himself that this would be the last time. The very last time he would cry over her.

After what felt like hours, he finally wiped at his eyes. Taking a deep breath and preparing himself to go back to his room. He would make the most out of his time here, and he won’t give Camille a second thought. He’ll drink and party to his heart’s content, and enjoy what Idris had to offer to the fullest.

He jumped up as he heard rustling somewhere behind him, he looked back, but he didn’t find anyone there. Shrugging it off as a squirrel or something, he stood up, taking one last look at the moon. _I can do this,_ he thought before turning around and heading back to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A squirrel? Really, Magnus? 
> 
> They will finally meet in the next chapter! 
> 
> Thank you for reading c: now please comment down there, and tell me what you think!


	4. Unexpected Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meetings, a little disagreement and taking a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, they are finally meeting! dslkdjlaksjd why am I excited? I already know everything that's going to happen but I can't contain my excitement lmao
> 
> As usual, this wasn't beta'd so please tell me if I have made any mistakes/errors! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave kudos/comments so I know what you think! :D 
> 
> P.s. Thank you all so much for the support so far, I really appreciate it. Your comments make me so happy and motivate me to write even more! I'm so glad you all are enjoying this, and I hope you continue to enjoy it even more. <3 ;-;
> 
> #HHCfic to live-tweet
> 
> \- Mar

Alec couldn’t sleep the previous night, he was incredibly nervous about meeting the Selected. He kept tossing and turning in bed, until he eventually gave up, and made his way to one of his favorite gardens in the palace.

Whenever he needed to clear his mind—which happened more often than he was willing to admit—, he would go there to unwind.

But to his surprise, the glass door was already wide open when he arrived, and he could see someone sitting on his favorite bench by the pond.

And when he walked closer, wondering who it was; he realized it was Edom’s prince. Sitting quietly, looking up at the moon as tears streamed down his face.

Picking his fork at the plate in front of him; his mind wandered back to how beautiful the prince had looked at that moment. His face that was devoid of make up, his hair that would gently fall back down on his forehead every time he brushed it away. His tears rolling down his face, his soft sniffles and his red cheeks. He wanted so badly to reach out to him, to help comfort him.

But he couldn’t.

He wasn’t allowed to come in contact with the Selected before tomorrow, but the real reason he couldn’t; was that he didn’t want to give himself _the_ chance to hope for more. He couldn’t allow himself to even think about it, because he knew it will all be crushed in the end.

So he just settled for quietly watching the beautiful man.

Not a few moments later, he could tell that the prince gave up his fight, heart-wrenching sobs leaving his shuddering form.

Alec was conflicted, he had wanted to offer his help, but he also wanted to turn around and leave, feeling like he was intruding on something private—which he totally was, mind you—.

Feeling the itch to get closer to the other man getting more and more persistent, he wanted to scratch at it, to just let himself go. But he knew, that if he gave in, he would just keep coming back for more.

The rational part of his brain won out in the end, leading him to the conclusion that it was best to leave and go back to his room. 

Once he was back in his room, he realized that his little trek didn’t help him unwind at all, instead, he found himself even more troubled. Why was Prince Magnus crying? Did something happen? Did someone say or do something to him? Did he even want to be here?

He didn’t know and it was troubling him immensely.

That’s why, during breakfast today, he found himself zoning out multiple times. His mother would say something, or his father would discuss military strategies —over breakfast, yes— and he would just hum or absentmindedly pick at his food.

Queen Maryse started chuckling at him, pulling him out of his own head. “Excited for today?” she asked as she gently smiled at him.

He startled, looking over at her with wide eyes, a bashful smile on his face. “Uh- yes.”

His father laughed, giving him a knowing look. “I know exactly how you feel. It is intimidating yet extremely exciting.” he said as he gave the Queen a genuine smile, taking her hand in his. “I remember it as though it was yesterday.”

Isabelle chuckled. “I bet Alec is even more nervous than you were, Father, he was never able to hold a conversation with a lady for more than five minutes.” she said teasingly, giving him a loving look when she noticed his sour expression. “I love you, big brother, but you’re about as suave as a two year old toddler.”

“Very funny.” he retorted, looking back down at his plate and hoping he won’t mess up today.

“Son,” his father said, “Do remember that most of the meeting this morning will be filmed for the Report. Try not to show any disgust or discomfort when talking with the men.”

Alec flinched at that, clenching his spoon in his hand to prevent it from falling down on his plate. “Of course, Father.” he muttered just as Isabelle said “Why would he be disgusted?”

Isabelle stood up from her place, always the defiant one. “So what if they are men? It’s not disgusting, and there is no reason for Alec to be uncomfortable!”

The King looked up from his plate at Isabelle’s outburst, giving her a questioning look, as though what she said didn’t even make sense to him. “Whatever do you mean?”

Isabelle opened her mouth, about to say something—probably stupid, Alec thought— just as Maryse took her hand and stood up as well. “My dear,” she said, looking at Isabelle. “We should get going, there’s this thing I told you about yesterday that we need to get done.”

She looked over at Robert, giving him a warm smile. “Excuse us.” she said, patting her husband’s cheek lovingly, before walking away with Isabelle’s hand held tightly in hers.

Alec looked back at his father, to find his gaze fixed on him. “Do you happen to know what that was about?”

Feeling a sudden burst of courage, he squared his shoulders, “She’s open-minded, Father.” he continued, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Robert just frowned at him, “Well, I certainly disagree. But, to each their own, right?” he didn’t wait for Alec’s reply before continuing, “Just don’t do anything to make yourself look bad, maybe smile at one of them or pat their shoulder. Anything to make it look as though you’re interested.”

Alec wanted to dig a hole and hide.

———

Taking a deep breath, Alec prepared himself to enter the Queen’s Hall, where the Selected were waiting for him inside. Jace, who was by his side, was patting his shoulder encouragingly. “You’ve got this.”

“I’ve got this?”

“You’re a Lightwood.” he stated as a matter of fact.

Alec sighed.

“Do you want me to stick by your side?”

“No, I can handle this. How terrifying can a group of Selected be?”

“Judging by how your face looks right now, I’d say it can be very terrifying.” Jace teased him, before taking a look at his outfit. “I guess you look handsome enough, though, they won’t notice how terrified you actually are.”

Alec was wearing a beige slim fit suit, paired with a white shirt. His hair was slightly gelled back away from his face, and he had a light stubble. “I suppose you’re right.” he smirked at Jace. “Let’s do this.”

He looked back at the double doors, and nodded at the page to open them. Once they were opened, he straightened his posture, and walked in. Hoping that his body language didn’t convey how nervous he really was.

As soon as he entered, a calm hush settled over the room. He looked around, noting that the vanity tables from before where nowhere in sight, and that everything was back to plush couches, multiple coffee tables and flower vases. The only difference was the number of people that occupied the room.

There were also multiple cameras and the filming crew in charge of the Selection segment of the Report present. He felt a small—almost unnoticeable— nudge to his left side, and realized that he was frowning. He smiled at the Selected, and asked them to sit back down; as they all stood and curtsied or bowed once he entered.

“Welcome to Alicante. I’m Alexander Lightwood, but I would prefer it if you’d just call me Alec.” he paused, not letting his eyes search for a certain pair of lined coffee-brown eyes. “I hope your journey was as pleasant as could be, and I also hope all your needs were met yesterday.” he finished with a smile.

When there was no reaction from the group, he simply continued, “Well, I wanted to have a small talk with each of you today, so I will be calling on each one of you for a small chat.”

Once he was done with his small speech, he made his way to a corner by the window, where a loveseat was placed, attached to the middle of the sofa was a small marble table, with a teapot and two teacups on top. He sat down, and looked at Jace who was standing by the door, gaze piercing as he looked around the room, ready to jump at the smallest hint of danger.

Alec shook his head fondly, knowing that nothing bad would happen. He looked at Chamberlain Juliana as she made her way to him.

“Shall I bring the first one, Your Highness?”

Alec internally sighed, knowing it’s going to be a really long morning, and nodded at her. “Yes.”

The first person to come was a boy by the name Allard Everheart. _Extremely pretty_ , was Alec’s first impression. And as he talked with him, he found that he was more than just a pretty face. He was a musician, with a deep appreciation for life. He would cover his mouth as he laughed and Alec found that endearing. All in all, their talk went extremely well, and Alec was worried that if he felt this comfortable with everyone else here, he’d be in deep trouble.

After Allard left, Alec found that he had no reason to worry, as the next person to come, Alucard, wasn’t nearly as charming. The spark that was there with Allard was just missing with Alucard. For lack of a better word, he was extremely boring. And arrogant.

Amelia was cute, but of course, there wasn’t any sort of spark. She was nice, and very shy. He tried imagining what it would be like to go out with her, but he just couldn’t.

As he watched Amelia leave, he noticed that the filming crew were gesturing for her to go over, probably interviewing the Selected after their talk with him.

Princess Camille was the next Selected to come to him. Throughout their talk, he felt extremely uncomfortable. She looked at him like a piece of meat, like she would just drag him to bed any chance she could. _Yep, this one has got to_ go, he thought to himself. Probably not now, though, someday soon. Only because she’s a Princess and he couldn’t really offend Crimson Night by sending her back on her first day at court. So he just gritted his teeth, and smiled at her as she sashayed away.

Camillia lacked personality. He just wasn’t able to imagine her as a queen, nor as a friend.

Caspian, Catarina and Clara were all extremely intriguing. They each had this spark in their eyes, the mischief was apparent and they shared stories with him that he would love to listen to more of.

Princess Clarissa was purely good. She looked very beautiful, and she was very genuine and down to earth. He thought that if only Jace wasn’t interested in her, he would have probably considered her as his future queen. He was a bit worried about how fast that thought crossed his mind. He just knew he would be good friends with Clary, regardless of how this ends.

 

After meeting a few more Selected—some of whom he had a great time with, and found that he shared a lot in common with—, it was Lady Lilith’s turn. She was very polite, extremely professional and very mature. She seemed wise and had a way with words that Alec found intriguing.

Then it was Lydia’s turn, as soon as she sat down next to him, he realized that she had been speaking to his mother. She was extremely ecstatic to be there, and she had this confidence, but also —dare he say— love in her eyes. He felt really bad for her, as she grew up with them in the castle, but once she came of age, she had to go back to her own estate. She missed most of Alec’s growth, which was probably why she thought she had a chance at an actual romance with him. But he knew that if it came down to it, he could trust her to be a worthy companion and queen.

Immediately after Lydia, it was _his_ turn.

Alec took a deep breath as he saw him approaching, trying to reign down the butterflies in his stomach and the weird fluttering in his chest.

He looked absolutely beautiful, wearing a tight burgundy shirt that was tucked into a pair of tight black trousers, multiple chains and necklaces were hanging around his neck, and he could see the same shimmery gold liner underneath his eyes. He looked absolutely perfect.

He walked perfectly too, which was weird because Alec had never noticed that sort of thing about people before.

He gracefully bowed to Alec, and Alec did the same— _he_ was a prince, after all. Alec sat down and gestured for Magnus to sit too.

The other man elegantly sat down, his movement fluid, crossing his legs and settling back on the sofa.

Magnus lifted an eyebrow at him, “Are you going to say something, or are you just going to keep staring at me, dear prince?”

Alec coughed to hide his embarrassment at having been caught staring. _Well, you’re not being subtle at all_ , his mind supplied unhelpfully. “Excuse me, it’s been a long day.” he said, smiling at Magnus.

“Of course, how tiring it must be to date twenty-five people at once.” Magnus bit back with a flourish of his hand—a bit aggressively too—, causing Alec to frown.

“Did I do something to offend you?” Alec asked, genuinely concerned.

Magnus’ eyes caught his, “I’m sorry, Your Highness. It’s just that I didn’t really choose to come here.” Magnus smirked, “And you being cute wasn’t a part of my plan, either.”

Alec felt his face heat up slightly, he smiled back at Magnus. “If you really want to leave, I can let you go.” he paused for a second, “And it’s Alec.”

“I’m not really eager to go back to my father yet, Alexander.” he lifted an eyebrow, as though he was challenging Alec to correct him again. But Alec wasn’t going to; he had never liked his name more than he did right then. “You’re probably not into men anyway, I am just here to enjoy the wine and take a break from my father.”

Alec had never wanted to come out to someone as much as he did in that moment. He didn’t correct him though, he just offered a smile. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

Magnus smiled at him, a genuine smile for once. “Thank you, Alexander. I appreciate it.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better now.” Alec was dumbfounded by the beauty of his smile, causing his mind to short-circuit, which was why he realized what he said a bit too late.

Magnus frowned at him, and Alec internally face-palmed himself so hard for making him lose his smile. “What do you mean?”

Alec could see him visibly tense up the longer he kept quiet. “I- Uh. Well,” he took a small breath, “I usually go to the garden when I can’t sleep—Insomnia, and I saw you there yesterday.” Magnus looked down at his lap, and played with his rings, twisting them around. “I left as soon as I realized I was intruding though, I am really sorry.” Alec finished, looking down at his lap and expecting— well, shouting, maybe?

But Magnus just looked up at him again, and smiled, although Alec could tell it was forced. “Getting the crown prince to apologize on our first meeting, I must really be something else.” He said as he placed a hand on Alec’s—that Alec didn’t even realize he was clenching on the table between them—, he felt a spark shoot up his arm and straight into his chest. “You’re forgiven, though I don’t really think it’s something you should apologize for. It’s my fault for sneaking out, anyway.”

To say Alec was dumbfounded would be an understatement. How was this man even _real_? “Well, I wasn’t lying about what I said. You can stay here as long as you’d like, I won’t send you home before then.” Alec said, turning his palm up and holding Magnus’ hand in his. Letting himself have this one, _one_ , moment. Just this once, he wanted to know how it would feel like.

Magnus’ hand felt soft in his, the rings on his fingers were cold against Alec’s skin, grounding him. Magnus squeezed his hand once and he glanced down at their hands. He saw the shimmery gold color on his nails too. It suited him. “It suits you.” he blurted out, letting go of Magnus’ hand, mindful of the eyes and cameras that were fixed on them. Although nobody else could hear what they were saying, he was still feeling self-conscious.

His smile was back again, _that_ smile. The one that made Alec’s heart want to beat out of his chest. “Thank you, Alexander.”

“Yeah.” he said, “Uh- I should talk to the others. It was nice talking to you, Magnus.” even his name felt heavenly leaving his mouth. “Truly”

“You too, Alexander.” Magnus stood up, giving him one more smile before walking away.

Alec was pretty sure that if his heart had legs, it would have followed him.

After Magnus left, Alec was introduced to Maia and Meliorn, both of whom he immediately liked. They were both very mysterious yet headstrong. Even though both of them were of high importance in their respective countries; they had the most unexpected hobbies. Maia liked mixing drinks, and Meliorn liked gardening.

Ralph was a quiet guy, with a kind smile and possibly the longest hair on a man he had ever seen. It was wavy and it suited him, giving him a dignified look.

When Ralph left, General Simon was led to where Alec was sitting. General Simon was nothing like Alec expected him to be. He was very confident and firm, but was also extremely dorky and had a great sense of humor. He talked way too much for a General in Alec’s opinion, but he found that very refreshing.

Raphael on the other hand, was extremely broody, but Alec thought it suited him—being a pianist and all. After talking to him for a bit, Alec realized that he rather enjoyed his sarcasm.

After one more selected, he was finally done meeting the whole group. He stood up from his chair and walked over to the middle of the Queen’s hall, looking at all of them. He caught sight of Magnus sitting beside Catarina— _a little too close_ , his mind offered—and Magnus give him a small encouraging smile.

“It was really nice talking with all of you today.” he said as he looked at the others, smiling genuinely at them. “Everyone is free to leave, except for those whom I have asked to stay behind.”

There were murmurs surrounding them, everyone was probably confused as to why he had asked a few to stay behind. He watched as the Selected slowly started getting up and leaving the Queen’s Hall. He could see a knowing smirk on Alucard’s face, and he felt bad but also kind of good—sue him—for the satisfaction he would feel when he wipes that arrogant smile away.

Once everyone was out—the filming crew too—, except for Jace and the five Selected he asked to stay, Alec prepared himself mentally to say what he had to. “Alucard, Amelia, Cruella, Camillia and Kaelie, I am really thankful and grateful that you had come here to be a part of the Selection.” he glanced at Camillia and could see the tears forming in her eyes, she probably already knew what he was going to say next. “And it pains me to say this, but I have to send the five of you back home.”

Alucard frowned at him, taking a step forward. “But why?”

Alec saw Jace moving from the corner of his eyes, and he gestured for him to stay put. “I suppose I do owe you an explanation.” he took a breath, “The simple truth is that I didn’t really feel any sort of connection with any of you, and I don’t think that I will. Thank you again for your time, and of course, you will still be compensated for it.” he gave them all a smile again, patting Camillia on the shoulder. “Goodbye.”

And with that he turned around and left, hoping he didn’t make the wrong decision.

———

It was already late afternoon when Alec finally made it back to his chambers to get some rest. After meeting the Selected in the morning, sending five of them home and then attending strategy councils with his father, his mind and body were beyond exhausted.

He had taken off his suit jacket, and unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt, when he heard his page announcing Isabelle. He sat down on his favorite armchair, and prepared himself for whatever storm his little sister would unleash on him.

When she came in, she was wearing a beautiful vermillion-colored off-shoulder dress, and her tiara was perched on her hair that was cascading in waves behind her. “Hello, Big Brother.” she said, her smile wide on her lips.

“Who are you and what have you done to my sister?” he teased her.

She rolled her eyes at him, and sat down on the sofa facing his chair. “I came to tell you some good news!”

“Do tell. The Angel knows I need some right now.” he sighed.

“Did the meeting go badly?” She asked him, to which he shook his head. “Then what is it?”

“I sent five Selected back home today.”

“You what?” she gasped, “Isn’t that really fast? You’ve just met them today!”

He rubbed his eyes, feeling exhaustion taking over. Maybe he should take a nap after Isabelle leaves. “The spark was just missing, you know. Our personalities don’t match.”

“Well, I suppose that’s understandable then.” She hummed, then smiled teasingly at him. “How was Magnus Bane? As dreamy as he looks?”

Alec smiled at her, although he knew it was still somehow sad. “Perfect.”

She squealed, clapping her hands joyfully. “That’s so adorable!”

“Well, don’t get too excited, nothing’s gonna come out of it.” he laughed at her. “I’m just hoping we can be friends.”

She hummed again, looking down at her dress. “I think you should come out to mom.” she suggested.

He looked up at her, giving her an _are you insane?_ look.

“Well, hear me out first before you shoot me down.”

“Izzy, this isn’t happening.” he told her.

“Just hear me out!” she insisted, and knowing her, she would never relent, so he just let out a huge sigh, and prepared himself for what was about to come.

“Remember this morning at breakfast?—”

“When you snapped at Father?” he interrupted, which made her give him a nasty look.

“—Mother thought that I was talking about myself. She thought I’m gay.” she stated. Giving him a smug look when he looked at her like she grew another head.

“She what?”

“Yep, apparently, you have to be gay in order to be open-minded.” she answered, inspecting her nails. “But I told her that I’m not. Not before she gave me this pretty long speech on how she accepts and loves me any way that I am and that I should probably keep it to myself for now, until she talks to Father.”

Alec felt like his mind was about to explode. His mother thought Isabelle was gay, she _accepted_ her.

“She also said something about being discreet when I go on dates, I don’t know. I wasn’t really concentrating.”

He shook his head at her. “No, Izzy. We’re different.”

“What do you mean? We are not different.”

“Yes, we are. You’re a princess. I’m the future King, I can’t. It’s too different. And even if Mother accepts it, Father never would.” he said as he rubbed his temples, hating that feeling of hope that was starting to rear its head again.

Angel, he didn’t need this right now.

“Alec, It’s your chance! Maybe Mother would end up underst—”

“Would you just stop?!” he snapped, standing up and looking down at her. “I don’t need this right now! You think you’re making it easier for me but you’re not! We are too different, and I am not willing to ruin everything based on something as trivial as maybes and what ifs!”

Isabelle stood up, her eyes tearing up but her expression remained firm, eyebrows drawn together and lips tightly shut. “It’s your life to ruin.” she gritted out before turning around and leaving, stomping twice by the door for the page standing outside to open it for her.

———

The King and Queen of Idris, along with their two children, Alec and Isabelle, were in the Great Hall where they usually have their meals. Today though, Alec was a bit too nervous, yet excited, for breakfast. The reason for his nerves was the fact that a certain group of people will be joining them for their meals starting today.

Alec expected to have Isabelle by his side today, helping him through this, but after their disagreement last night, Isabelle wasn’t sparing him a glance.

He sighed as he sat down. As usual, his place was by his father’s right hand. His mother was on the left side of the King, and Isabelle was on her other side. Two more rows of tables were added—one on Alec’s side, the other on Isabelle’s— where the Selected wereto be seated.

When the Selected came in, they were all ushered to their respective seats. The one nearest to Alec was Princess Clarissa, next to her was Princess Camille, whom Alec couldn’t wait to send away. On Isabelle’s side was Prince Meliorn and next to him Prince Magnus.

Alec could immediately tell that his parents had a hand in this arrangement, they were probably trying to get one of the Princes to notice Isabelle. Although, to be fair he really didn’t think that they would need assistance in noticing his sister, she was the most beautiful out of all the ladies in the room. He might be a bit biased, though.

After the Selected curtsied and bowed, his father gestured for all of them to sit, and he welcomed them all to court.

While they ate, Alec couldn’t stop his eyes from darting towards Magnus. He looked as beautiful as he did yesterday, wearing a black sheer shirt, covered with golden embroidery. His right hand had two rings with his initials on them, MB, while his other hand had some claw-like ring; that Alec couldn’t really fathom how he’d be able to eat while wearing. There was only one golden necklace around his neck today, rounding up his look. The tips of his hair had blonde streaks, and when he moved his head to the side to talk to Catarina, Alec could see golden glitter on his hair too.

Feeling a sudden burst of courage, Alec called out to him. “Prince Magnus.” the room fell silent, and everyone had their eyes fixed on Magnus, except King Robert who was still eating.

Magnus turned to look at Alec, a golden glimmer in his eyes. “Yes, Your Highness?”

The corner of Alec’s mouth twitched at the title, “How do you like the food in Idris?” he asked as he placed his elbows on the table and interlaced his fingers together, propping his chin on them.

“It’s exquisite. Very different from what we have in Edom, but change is always good.” he said as he smiled at him.

“Indeed it is.” Alec replied, after a moment of silence, he continued. “If you’re up for it, would you like to join me for lunch later?”

From the corner of his eyes, Alec could see Robert glance at him, but he didn’t move his eyes; keeping his gaze connected with Magnus’.

“Of course.” Magnus said, a smile playing about his lips.

Alec nodded, pleased with himself, “I’ll come get you at one.”

“It’s a date.” Magnus said, and Alec kind of wanted to die because, Angel, he’d love to have a date with Magnus, but he was suddenly very aware of where they were and the amount of people around them.

He gave Magnus a small smile, and looked down at his food, hoping his father will think of this as him ‘ _humoring’_ them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHH OMG THEY ARE GOING ON A DATE! lol calm your ass Mar. BUT OMG A DATE!!!! 
> 
> Let me know what your favorite parts were if you have any! :)
> 
> \- Mar


	5. A Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A queen, a rose garden and a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for their date :'D 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this. 
> 
> Please leave comments if you can! I love hearing your thoughts and they influence me a lot while writing lmao. <3 (It's my birthday tomorrow so leave comments with your thoughts about this fic as a birthday gift LOL!)
> 
> #HHCfic for tweeting.
> 
> \- Mar

Magnus has been feeling extremely giddy. Yes, he was still upset about Camille, but after crying his heart out the other day, he was starting to feel a little better.

And a certain hazel-eyed prince was another reason for his good mood. He did think of him as a pompous prince at first, and he was pretty sure when he finally met him, he would hate his guts. But that was the furthest thing from reality.

Magnus knows that he’s a pretty good judge of character. And although he only met Alexander twice, he was able to tell that Alexander was good. He was definitely easy on the eyes, and his voice was just heavenly. But he was more than that. He was kind, the way he blurted out the truth about the garden, and how he told him he could stay as long as he liked, it was just heartwarming.

Magnus had a feeling that Alexander wasn’t into men, and even if he was; he would probably have to end up choosing a bride and not a groom for the sake of his Kingdom. Magnus didn’t like that, but he understood.

But what confused him was that Alexander had asked him first for a ‘date’ and not any of the ladies, not to mention how he didn’t even flinch at Magnus’ touch when they first met.

Maybe he didn’t find him intimidating?

He didn’t really know, but he didn’t want to dwell on it. Alexander would tell him, of that he was certain.

After finishing breakfast, he made his way with the other Selected to the Queen’s Hall. Everyone else was giving him side-glances and he got a few dirty looks too, but he didn’t really care. He was feeling good and nothing would change that.

Catarina was also beyond ecstatic.

When they both had met yesterday at the Queen’s Hall before meeting the prince, she was treating him with kid gloves. She was worried about his mental state, but when she saw him looking his best and smiling, she realized that he was trying to move on.

He had told her that he decided not to think about Camille, and that he will try his best to not let her presence bother him in the least. She was the one at fault, and if anyone should feel uncomfortable it should be Camille.

Catarina had also pointed out to him—after his talk with Alexander— that he was the first one the prince had touched. Which made Magnus really giddy.

He knew nothing would come out of whatever it was he had with Alexander, but it was still exhilarating. Having Alexander’s attention to himself, and talking with him. It was fun.

Once they all entered the room, he made his way to the sofa they usually occupied. He sat down with Catarina by his side, and he saw as a few of the other Selected murmured between each other as they looked at him.

He didn’t pay them any heed, and just talked with Catarina for a while.

After a few minutes had passed, Princess Clary, Simon and Raphael joined them. The five of them had spent the previous day together, getting to know each other and enjoying themselves. He grew quite fond of their little group.

Princess Clary sat on Magnus’ empty side, and she gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen. “Magnus! What are you gonna wear?” she asked.

He blinked at her, “Wear? For what?”

“For your date, of course.” she clarified as she gave him an _I can’t believe you_ look.

“I’ll have to check later, I guess.” he paused, “I don’t even know if they’re done making my clothes yet.”

“I still can’t believe you were the first one Alec asked out.” Simon blurted.

“And why is that, Sherwin?”

Simon rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t mean it in a bad way. But,” he gestured with his hands, “He doesn’t seem like the type to be interested in guys. I thought he would send us back on the first day.”

“He didn’t seem uninterested to me.” Raphael said, rising an eyebrow at Simon. “Are you sure it wasn’t just you?”

Simon glared at him, “Hey!”

Catarina shook her head, ignoring the two men who were still bickering. “Well, you should probably leave soon,” she was giving him a knowing look, “Knowing you, it’ll take you five hours to get ready.”

Magnus nodded, “I’ll go back to my room at eleven.”

Just then, the page by the door announced the Queen and Princess Isabelle.

He opened it, and the Queen entered. She was regal, and very beautiful too. Her head held high as she walked in, it didn’t show at all that she wasn’t of noble birth. Princess Isabelle was gorgeous too, looking extremely beautiful in her shocking-red dress.

When they walked inside, all of the Selected stood up. Queen Maryse started making her rounds, as she had to address all of them before they would be able to approach her freely.

They made their way over to Magnus’ group, and Maryse addressed each of them. But before she addressed him, she paused for a little while, and Magnus felt Catarina’s hand tightening around his. He wondered whether the Queen disliked the fact that Alexander had asked him out, and that was why she wasn’t addressing him.

The tension around the room thickened, and Magnus felt his annoyance bubbling up. He didn’t want his day to be ruined because of something like this. He kept his gaze fixed on Maryse’s, and waited for her.

He saw Isabelle’s hand settle on her mother’s, and it seemed like Maryse snapped out of her inner turmoil. She smiled at Magnus, although it didn’t reach her eyes. “Magnus, it’s a pleasure to officially meet you.”

He smiled back at her—at least she was trying. “Your Majesty.” he bowed.

Queen Maryse and Princess Isabelle walked away, when they sat down, she gestured for the Selected to sit as well.

Lydia, Magnus noticed, approached the Queen and Isabelle as soon as they were comfortably seated. She sat down on the closest chair to the Queen and they started talking. Queen Maryse was obviously very fond of Lydia, as throughout their conversation Magnus could see a genuine smile on the Queen’s face.

He watched as the other Selected slowly started approaching them and sitting down around the Queen.

“Are you okay?” Clary asked him, her brows knitted in worry.

Magnus couldn’t help the smile forming on his face, “I’m alright, biscuit.” he gently patted her hand.

Clary smiled back at him, “‘Biscuit’, I like that.”

“Hello,” Magnus heard, looking up to see Isabelle standing by the sofas their little group occupied. “Would you mind if I join?” she asked as a wide smile graced her lips.

When they all nodded at her, she gracefully sat down on the seat facing Magnus’.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“Not at all,” Clary answered as she gave her the brightest smile. Clary was really growing on Magnus, her kind hearted nature was winning him over. “We’re honored.”

Isabelle smiled at her, and they continued talking for a while. Chatting about life in Idris and the food, as well as the beauty of the palace. But Magnus couldn’t really concentrate, his mind was occupied with thoughts of his lunch date.

One of them suggested they should play cards, and Magnus figured it wouldn’t hurt to play a few rounds, it would be a welcome distraction.

After a few rounds of cards, Simon gestured to one of the attendants to pour Magnus another cup of tea, but Isabelle quickly protested. “Stop stuffing him, Simon! He has a date!”

Magnus froze, not having expected her to bring that up.

She gave him a teasing smile, “Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

“Of course,” he laid his cards down, and gave Catarina a small peck on her cheek. “I will see you later, my dear.”

Isabelle frowned at him, causing him to chuckle. “She’s my best friend, if you haven’t noticed.”

“And do you kiss all your friends?” Raphael asked him.

“Yep.” he answered as he pecked Raphael’s cheek as well.

Raphael grimaced, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m a Prince, I can do whatever I want.” he singsonged as he walked away, waving them goodbye.

———

The first thing Magnus noticed when he entered his chambers, was the clothes strewn haphazardly throughout the lounge room. It looked as though his closet threw up its contents on every piece of furniture.

He opened the door to his bedroom, and found that it wasn’t in any better condition.

“Your Highness!” Marianne said, walking over to him with a pile of shirts in her hand.

“What happened here?”

“Well, we finished sewing most of your wardrobe, and were about to place everything in your closet,” he remembered the previous day when they had asked him detailed questions of what he likes to wear and what designs and styles he liked. They had also previously informed him that all of the clothes he brought with him won’t be worn, and that they would be making him a whole new wardrobe. “But then we heard!” She exclaimed, her eyes shining.

He had gotten closer to the three of them the previous day, they all shared his sense of fashion, and they were all extremely kind-hearted.

“You heard what, exactly?”

“You have a date with the Prince!” Fiona said, smiling brightly.

He smiled at their eagerness. “You girls are way too excited for this.” he said, patting Sophia’s head. “Well, I’ll let you three choose my outfit for me, then. But I’m doing my own makeup.” he held up a finger, as if daring them to disagree.

“Yes!” they said in unison.

 

Once he was finished adding the final details to his makeup, he took a step back, admiring how it looked.

He didn’t want to go for something over-the-top, so he just settled for barely visible orange eyeshadow, his usual golden liner, a brush of highlighter and bronzer.

“Wonderful!” Marianne smiled at him.

Magnus smiled back at her, “Thank you.”

They helped him get dressed, and put on his accessories. He looked at himself in the mirror, trying to discern if anything was out of place. His hair was up in curly spikes. He wore a dark blue shirt, that had beautiful patterns on it, tucked into a pair of black pants. He also added a black belt with a silver buckle and topped it off with a glittery-black cashmere jacket.

As for his accessories, he wore his MB rings, on his right hand as usual, and then added a silver ear-cuff and some silver necklaces to wrap up his looks.

Taking a deep breath, he went into the lounge area to wait for Alexander.

 

At a quarter to one o’clock, he heard a soft knock on his door. He frowned, not expecting Alexander this early. As his maids were busy tidying up the mess of clothes in his bedroom, he opted to answer the door himself.

On the other side of the door stood Camille, clad in a tight red dress. “Hello, dearest.”

“What are you doing here?” his tone remained cold, distant. He didn’t want her catching any sign of weakness. Playing with people’s emotions was Camille’s favorite thing, and he wasn’t going to give her a chance to play with his own any more than she already has.

She stepped closer to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and then sliding it down to his waist. “I missed you.” she whispered, her voice sending unpleasant chills down his spine.

He took a step back, fighting to keep his poker face on. “I haven’t missed you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date I need to prepare for.” he said before closing the door.

As soon as it was closed, he rested his back against it and sighed, this was going to be more difficult than he thought.

A few minutes later, he heard another knock, and opened the door to reveal Alexander standing there.

Alexander looked amazing, wearing a grey suit, but instead of a shirt, he wore a light-grey turtleneck sweater. He was aware of the fact that he was blatantly checking Alexander out, but he didn’t really care. He found him really handsome and Magnus tended to appreciate the fine things in life.

Alexander cleared his throat, and Magnus looked up at him to find the faint sign of a blush on his cheeks. “You look amazing.” Magnus stated, wanting to see how Alexander would react.

Alexander smiled at him, “And you look beautiful.” he answered back. “Shall we?” Alexander asked, gesturing towards the direction of the grand stairs.

“Of course.”

Alexander led the way through the castle, Magnus walking beside him. He took him to an unfamiliar path, grand hallways that were full of mirrors on both sides, each mirror lined with gold. Big chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, brightening up the halls.

“So, where are you taking me exactly?” Magnus asked, hands entwined behind his back.

Alexander hummed, “It’s a surprise.”

Magnus suddenly stopped, faking a gasp. When Alexander turned around, Magnus rested his hand upon his heart, “I don’t like surprises.”

“You’re going to like this one.” Alexander said, grinning at him.

Magnus frowned, letting his hand fall to his side. “How do you know that?”

“Gut feeling.” Alexander smirked, then turned back around and continued walking.

Magnus stared at his back, completely dumbfounded. Alexander was cheekier than Magnus thought he would be, it was a pleasant surprise for him. Shaking his head, he followed behind the other man, who was already turning around the corner.

When he turned the corner, he saw Alexander standing in front of a huge glass double-door. Alexander opened it, and motioned for him to pass.

When Magnus made his way out and down the porch steps, he found himself surrounded by bushes of flowers, mostly white roses. “Wow.” he breathed out as he took in his surroundings. It was like nothing he has ever seen before, almost like a forest of white roses surrounding him. “This is… gorgeous.”

Alexander was standing next to him, smiling proudly with his hands behind his back. “I know.” he said, “This is one of my favorite places in the palace. And what’s even better about it is that not many people come here.” he began walking on the stoned path, urging Magnus to follow him “You haven’t seen anything yet, though, come on.”

He walked by Alexander’s side, looking around him in awe, taking in the beautiful stone arches in their path, some of which had vines of white flowers surrounding them. Alexander showed him the way to a pond, this one much bigger than the koi pond he saw on his first night in the castle. He strayed off the stone path, walking on the fields of grass and Magnus couldn’t do anything but follow after him.

He noticed a garden table that was set close to the pond, it was made of stone as well and had intricate designs on the legs. There were two benches with lush pillows on them, and Alexander led him there. “Have a seat.”

Magnus sat down on the bench facing the pond, and Alexander sat facing him.

“This place is honestly beautiful.” Magnus sighed, keeping his gaze on the beautiful pond just beyond Alexander.

“It really is.” Alexander smiled genuinely at him, “You’re welcome to come here whenever you want.”

“Is that okay?” Magnus asked him, surprised.

“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?” Alexander inquired.

Magnus bit his lip, not wanting to get anyone into trouble, but then again he wanted to be as truthful as possible with Alexander. Just like how Alexander was honest with him. “We were told not to wander around.”

Alexander sighed, “Juliana?” when Magnus nodded, Alexander chuckled. “I can’t believe her.” he said shaking his head. “Well, now you have the permission of the Crown Prince to wander around as much as you’d like.” Alexander said as he looked to the side, gesturing to one of the servants to bring their food. “She can’t do anything about that, even if she’s the Chamberlain.”

Magnus bit his lip to stop a smile from showing on his face, but eventually lost the will to hide it and beamed at Alexander.

The servants began laying down their food on the table, there were way too many plates on the table for the both of them. “I can’t eat this much.” Magnus said.

“Well, we better eat all of it if we don’t want to be yelled at by Nora.”

“Nora?” Magnus raised an eyebrow at Alexander.

“She’s the head chef.” The other prince replied.

“You know the head chef personally? And she yells at you?” Magnus laughed incredulously.

Alexander’s face broke into a big smile, laugh lines forming around his eyes. “Is that weird?”

Magnus nodded, picking up a piece of meat with his fork and staring at it.

“Don’t worry, it won’t kill you.” Alexander chuckled, “At least I hope not.”

Magnus grumbled under his breath, and took a bite of the meat.

 

They shared small talk throughout their meal, Alexander was far more intriguing than Magnus had thought. Although younger than Magnus was, he had really interesting stories to share.

Magnus found out that Alexander never travelled other than for politics and forming alliances with other kingdoms. He mentioned that he had never went to Edom too, and seemed really interested in knowing more about it. Magnus described his home to him, how magical it really was. He mentioned how different the royal castle in Edom was compared to Idris’.

“Although dark and red, it’s still home.” Magnus said at some point, feeling nostalgic.

Alexander tilted his head, hand swirling his wineglass. “Do you miss it?”

Magnus laughed. “It’s funny, right? I’ve only been gone five days and I kinda do.”

“I don’t think it’s funny.” Alexander assured him, taking a sip of his wine and then looking down at his almost empty glass. “I would probably feel the same way if I were you, especially if I didn’t even choose to leave.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Alexander.” Magnus tried catching the other man’s gaze, “I really don’t hate it here. It’s fun, and I have my best friend with me, so it’s okay.”

Alexander looked up at him then. “Princess Camille?”

Magnus frowned, wondering why Alexander would bring up Camille out of everyone. “Camille? No.” Alexander visibly relaxed at his answer. “Why would you think that?”

“Uh. It’s just that,” he nervously played with his hands, “I just saw her leaving your room when I came, and I just— I thought…”

Magnus vehemently shook his head. “No, not at all. Camille’s not my friend.”

“I see.” Alexander put down his glass on the table, then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Shall we go?”

Magnus stood up, walking beside Alexander all the way back to the garden’s archways and paved paths.

“Forgive me if I’m overstepping,” Alexander said, clenching his suit jacket—that he took off halfway through lunch. “But, would you mind telling me why you were upset that day?”

Magnus was surprised by the sudden question. He didn’t think Alexander would bring it up again, but here they were. He didn’t know what to say. Yes, he felt comfortable talking to Alexander, but that night—that issue, was something extremely personal and private. He didn’t even share much about it with Catarina, she didn’t even know the reason for their break-up, as he kept brushing it off whenever she tried to get him to talk.

Alexander stopped walking, and was looking at him so intensely, Magnus had to turn away. He looked out at the flowers around them, in full bloom and as bright as everything else in Idris. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Magnus finally said, sitting down on a white bench surrounded by white hydrangeas.

Alexander sat down next to him, maintaining a comfortable distance between them. “I understand.” he said quietly, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Magnus smiled at him, although he knew it didn’t look as genuine anymore. “It’s alright.” he leaned back on the bench, crossing his legs and looking around. “I know you are just concerned, but it’s nothing.” _lies,_ his mind contradicted.

Alexander hummed, clearly not believing him but not wanting to press any further.

After a few moments of silence, the only sound they could hear was the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds. Alexander reached out his hand; palm up. “Can I…?”

Magnus frowned, not understanding what Alexander wanted. “What?”

Alexander pointed at Magnus’ right hand, and understanding dawned upon him. He placed his hand on Alexander’s, watching as Alexander studied his B ring that was on his forefinger.

“I know about the stupid ‘no requesting an audience’ rule,” Alexander said, taking off Magnus’ ring. “But if you ever want to talk or need something, put this ring on this finger.” he slid the ring onto Magnus’ left hand’s index finger. “I’ll come to you.” he said, gazing right into Magnus’ eyes. 

To say Magnus was touched would be an understatement. He was completely and utterly in awe of the man sitting next to him. Only five days, and he was already this fond of him.

“You’re a sweet man, Alexander.” Magnus patted the prince’s hand, genuinely smiling at him.

“I know.” Alexander answered cheekily.

After a few more minutes of comfortable silence, Magnus called out to him. “Alexander,” diverting Alexander’s attention from a couple of birds on the ground in front of them to himself. “I know we’ve only talked a handful of times, but… somehow, it always ends up being about me. I want to get to know you, too.”

Alexander licked his lips, a hazy look passing through his face, as though nobody has ever asked him about himself before. “Well, what do you want to know?”

Magnus thought for a bit, “For a start, what’s your favorite color?”

Alexander laughed incredulously, “Favorite color? For real?”

“Yes. It’s a very important question.” Magnus clarified playfully.

“Black.” Alexander answered, a wide smile on his face.

“Favorite meal?”

“Pizza rolls.”

“Favorite instrument?”

“Violin.”

“Hobbies?”

“Archery.”

“What do you think about the Selection?”

Alexander froze, his smile slowly dying down. “Why do you ask?” he swallowed thickly, keeping his gaze on Magnus’ face.

Magnus rolled his eyes, “You’ve seen me practically bawling my eyes out, so it’s only fair I get to hear your thoughts about this.”

“You were crying because of the Selection?” Alexander inquired, frowning down at his lap.

Magnus licked his lower lip, contemplating his answer. “Partially. It wasn’t the main reason, but a contributing factor.”

Alexander’s gaze rested on Magnus’ face, looking for any sign of dishonesty. Magnus surmised he couldn’t find any when he finally decided to speak. “I think… It isn’t fair.” Alexander’s eyes moved to look at the flowerbeds in front of them. “What if I accidentally send the one I’m supposed to be with back on her first week? What if I don’t fall in love with anyone here? What if I don’t treat everyone the same? What if I can’t choose the _one_ , because of my duty to my kingdom?” he whispered the last part, sounding completely defeated.

 _He’s straight after all,_ Magnus thought. He was quietly listening to Alexander, feeling sorry for him.

Magnus and the other Selected, if they weren’t chosen or had to be sent back, still had a chance to find love in the future. Fight for it, and possibly win it someday.

But Alexander… He only had this one chance.

One chance at happiness. One chance at finding a person he could spend the rest of his life with. One chance at getting it right. And if he doesn’t, then he’ll be miserable for the rest of his life.

Magnus suddenly felt like a complete asshole for his outburst when he told Alexander how he felt about him dating twenty-five people at once. He wanted so badly to go back in time and shove some sense into himself.

“Well, since you’ve been so generous with me, I will help you out.” Magnus said, causing Alexander to give him a confused look. “You gave me permission to roam around the castle, you showed me this amazing place and you’ve given me a place to stay to avoid my Father for as long as I need. That’s why I will help you choose the best one out of the Selected.” he clarified, beaming at Alexander.

Magnus was pretty sure that whoever Alexander ended up with, would be the luckiest person alive. Magnus liked him, and he would make sure to help him out from the inside; guide him to whoever would be the best Queen of Idris.

Alexander smiled at him, a small yet resigned smile. “Thank you, Magnus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides* I'm not to blame. Alec doesn't want to leave the closet, yet. It's not my fault. NOT MY FAULT. (mea culpa) 
> 
> Let me know what you thought about their date! Also was it one promise they made or was it two? *evil laugh*
> 
> \- Mar


	6. Sonata No. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tune, lies and a confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who almost didn't make it this Thursday? MOI. But I somehow managed. 
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter, because I honestly love a certain part of it. Please let me know if I have made any mistakes so I can fix them. c: 
> 
> I RECOMMEND LISTENING TO [THIS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIGBoFzA7bo&feature=youtu.be) WHILE READING THE FIRST PART OF THIS CHAPTER. (as it’s the melody that’s mentioned.)
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.
> 
> #HHCfic for twitter. I post updates about this fic and the aesthetics for each chapter using this hashtag if anyone's interested.
> 
> \- Mar

Alec hadn’t known how difficult this would be when it all began. His thoughts were all over the place, he liked so many of the Selected, except for a handful that he hadn’t figured out yet.

During the first Report that the Selected were a part of, they were all interviewed, some of whom he hadn’t had the chance to learn more about. So he decided then that over the next few weeks—and before the annual Autumn Ball—, he would try to make time for each of them, and he did.

During the second week, Juliana had informed him that two of the Selected, Clara and Ralph, were having an ‘affair’ and so she took it upon herself to send them away. He had given her his thoughts about it, and had told her that if something like this happens again, she should let him know first before acting.

Now he was down to eighteen candidates, and he had no idea what to do.

So far, his first choice for Queen was Lydia. As he did know her, and he trusted her to be a fair Queen. The only problem with choosing Lydia was that she had feelings for him. Feelings he was sure he couldn’t reciprocate.

Princess Clarissa was a close second, but he didn’t want to involve her in the mess that was his life, nor did he want to hurt Jace by approaching her. Even though Jace already knew he wasn’t interested in women, Alec was pretty sure that it would still hurt him.

But Clary was kind and open, she was very gentle too. He needed to have a talk with Jace about this, and it needed to be soon.

Helen Blackthorn and Maia Roberts were both very competent women, with strong points of view and opinions. Alec liked that very much about them, and found that it would benefit him and his kingdom in the long run.

But there was still this nagging feeling at the back of his mind. The presence of the male candidates wasn’t letting the hope in his heart die down, especially after he had made up with Isabelle after the Report and she nagged him about his date with Magnus. He was just getting more and more hopeful and it _hurt_.

He sighed, and tried to focus on the papers in front of him. He was doing a little bit of reading about Crimson Night, as he had a date planned with Tiana Bryans and he wanted to be a little more knowledgable about her home country. She was the only Selected whom he hadn’t had a date with, yet.

But the more he read, the more his mind wandered.

He hadn’t talked to Magnus that much since their date.

A date he immensely enjoyed, to the point that it scared him. He liked everything he knew about Magnus. His gentleness, his forgiving nature, the way he talked, his gracefulness and even his guarded side that Alec caught a few glimpses of.

He wanted to know more about him, to peel the layers one by one and get to know the deepest parts of him.

It terrified him.

He did like the other Selected, yet, none of them made him feel the way Magnus did. Even Allard, whom he felt an instant connection with, didn’t awaken this need in Alec to know more.

He didn’t know whether it was because he had seen him crying, which made Alec protective of him. Or if it was just his curiosity about the incident that made Alec have these sort of feelings towards him.

Magnus was confusing him and he didn’t like to be confused.

Rubbing his temples, Alec gave up on the papers in front of him. He got up from his desk and made his way out of the small office in his chambers towards the lounge area. Walking towards the corner, he picked up his violin and stepped out into the balcony.

The cool breeze of late September felt so good against his skin, and the view of the White Garden from his balcony was even more mesmerizing.

He placed his chin on his violin, gently caressing its neck. He heaved a deep breath, and let his fingers fly over the fingerboard, playing Sonata No. 5 in F minor, one of his all time favorite tunes. The bow moved fluidly against the strings, bringing the sombre piece to life with every swipe.

Whenever he played his violin, he felt at peace. Free from all expectations and responsibilities. He could go anywhere, be anyone. It was his bliss, an escape from his reality.

As his tune came to an end, he was brought back to reality by the sound of soft clapping behind him. He turned around to find Jace standing there, leaning against the balcony door. “That was amazing.”

Alec forced a smile, “Thanks.” he walked to one of the chairs and sat down, gently placing his violin on the table in front of him. He looked up to see Jace studying him, his eyes had a hint of sadness in them, and Alec knew it was his doing. He gestured for Jace to sit facing him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jace asked as he flopped down on the chair.

“What makes you think I need to talk?” Alec asked, raising an eyebrow at his best friend.

“C’mon, Alec. Who do you think you’re talking to?” Jace asked incredulously, “You only play that tune when you’re feeling down.”

Alec sighed, not bothering to hide anything from his knight. “What do you think of Clary?”

Jace tensed slightly, if Alec didn’t know him as well as he did, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all. “Clary who?”

Alec gave him a disbelieving look. “Princess Clary. The one I went on a date with last week.”

“Oh right… The red head. ” Jace licked his lips, looking anywhere but at Alec. “She’s… She’s nice— yeah.”

“You think I should keep her in the Selection?”

Jace frowned. “Of course you should if you like her.”

“But don’t _you_ like her?” Jace was obviously not going to bring it up, so Alec gave in first.

Jace frowned but didn’t say anything.

“You know I wouldn’t judge you for that. Plus, I’m gay so, it’s not like I care if you like her or not.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway.” Jace sighed. “She’s a princess.” he said it as though that would explain everything.

“…And you’re my knight.” Alec stated.

“Exactly.” Jace sighed, “I’m your knight. I can never leave your side.” he smiled at Alec, “Not that I would ever want to.”

Alec smiled back at him, “You say that now, wait until you lose sight of me again and you’ll wish you never trained for this in the first place.”

Jace clicked his tongue at Alec, shaking his head. “Never.”

Alec’s smile turned resigned, looking at his violin and playing with the strings.

“So, what’s on your mind, Alec?”

“Many things.”

“Well, we have all night.” Jace stated, leaning back on his chair and getting more comfortable.

Alec didn’t know if he should talk about everything he was feeling. He didn’t want to overwhelm Jace with his own thoughts, but he knew that he would need to talk to someone about it so that he’d be able to understand his own situation better.

Usually, Isabelle would be the one he would talk anything out with. But he knew how she felt about the Selection, the little disagreement they had two weeks ago made her views about this crystal clear to him.

“I’m just really confused right now.” Alec explained, “I know that Mother and Father will never accept me for who I am. And I know that I can’t be who I want to be. It’s just that I—” he sighed.

“You’re hoping for more?” Jace supplied helpfully.

Alec buried his face in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. “Yes.” he mumbled.

Jace tapped his fingers on the table, a frown marring his face as he thought. “Well, let’s start with something simple. What is confusing to you?”

“He’s interesting, Jace.” Alec stood up, walking around in hopes that it would help him sort through his thoughts. He didn’t even clarify whom he was talking about because he knew Jace would understand. Admitting who he is and saying his name out loud wasn’t something Alec was ready for yet. “I find him very intriguing and it’s messing with my head.” he kept pacing around, his thoughts running several miles a minute.

“I’m getting ideas and thoughts and I just want to get to know him better. I mean, I’ve only known him for a bit over two weeks, but it’s just not the same with everyone else. Do you think it would fade? I hope it will, cause if it doesn’t I’m so screwed.” Alec flopped back down on his chair, gesturing with his hands. “And what’s more, he said he’ll help me from the inside. He thinks I’m straight and he’s helping me find a _wife_ , Jace. A _queen_.”

Alec looked up at Jace helplessly. He has never felt this way before, Alec always had a plan, he was always ten steps ahead. But this Selection, it was messing with him and his feelings and he just didn’t know what to do but vent. “There’s also something happening between him and Camille.”

Jace frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what it is between them, but something is definitely there.” Alec sighed, “I saw her leaving his room once, and when I asked about it he said ‘ _Camille’s not my friend’_ , but I could feel it, he was hiding something.” he air-quoted.

Jace hummed, but didn’t say anything.

“What should I do?” Alec pleaded. He was all out of answers and options. He needed someone to push him, just one more time. He needed someone to tell him that it will be okay, that whatever it was he was feeling was okay. 

Jace reached out, patting Alec’s hand. “I think you should at least try.” Jace said, “I know you think His Majesty would never accept it, but I still think you should give yourself a chance to figure everything out. I’ve got your back. Always.”

“Do you really think I have a chance at getting this?”

“I really, _really_ do.” Jace assured him, a big confident smile on his face.

Alec sighed, leaning his back against the chair. “I’ll think about it.”

And he would, because he wanted to be happy. He wanted to give himself a chance.

———

Alec’s outing with Tiana was very… boring. It wasn’t anything she did, or didn’t do. But she was very quiet, and Alec could tell that there weren’t many things that they had in common, still, he was hoping for the best. He even brought up the ball with her, which would take place in two week, but even that topic didn’t seem to interest her.

She seemed to have something on her mind, and he didn’t want to pry.

But the more time they spent together, the more he felt her closing herself up.

They had both went riding, as the weather wasn’t as cold that day. He wanted her to have a good time, and she had mentioned before that she was fond of riding and picnics so that’s what he decided on doing.

They were both sitting on a picnic rug, eating a variety of fruit, when Tiana finally spoke. “I don’t want to bother you with this, Alec, but there’s something I think you should know.”

Alec sat up straighter and tilted his head a bit to catch her eyes. But she just averted her gaze, looking further down her lap. “What is it?”

She wriggled her fingers together, seemingly nervous about what she was going to say. “I think something is going on between Princess Camille and Prince Magnus.” she blurted out.

Alec frowned, his worries from the previous night resurfacing. “What do you mean by that?”

She looked up at him, her brows creased in worry. “An affair. I think.” she bit her bottom lip, before looking down at her lap again. “We were told the rules, and I know that it isn’t allowed which is why I thought you should know about it. I think he likes her. He’s always all over her, sitting with her and talking to her. I saw them suspiciously close once near Camille’s room.”

Alec was suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable, his chest felt like it was burning from the inside. His mind repeated the words she said over and over again _‘he likes her’._ He took a breath to steady the beating of his heart.

Magnus was weird before, when Alec brought up Camille.

A part of the reason why Magnus was crying that day was the Selection; and Camille was a candidate.

Alec had seen Camille leave Magnus’ room.

_‘Camille’s not my friend’._

If not his friend, then what was she?

It all made sense in Alec’s mind, but he refused to believe it.

“I didn’t mean to make you upset, Alec.” Tiana said, pulling him out of his mind. “I just think it isn’t fair to keep them here, while Clara and Ralph were sent back last week, even if they’re both royalty.”

Alec tried to muster a smile for her, “Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry but there’s something I have to do.” he got up and left, not able to find it in himself to spend another second here.

He needed to know.

 

Walking through the halls of the castle, Alec’s vision was starting to darken around the edges, he could feel his anger rising. Magnus had promised him. He had promised to help him.

Alec knew he was being a bit irrational, especially after making himself look uninterested in Magnus. He knew that if he just burst in and started shouting and screaming, it would only create a big scene. Rationally, he knew.

But it hurt.

As he walked, he could see the servants and the maids clearing the way for him, he could tell he was fuming and he could practically feel heat coming out of his ears.

He turned a corner and stopped. Leaning against the wall and trying to reign in his emotions. He couldn’t be worked up, not now. Not when he wasn’t even sure about everything he heard.

He trusted Magnus. For some reason unfathomable to him, he did. But it still hurt, because a part of himself was doubting the other man. It was feeding into Alec’s insecurities and anger. It was asking him how well he actually knew the other man to be able to trust him.

He breathed deeply, inhaling then slowly exhaling. Just like how Maryse had taught him when he was younger and lost his temper at a toddler Isabelle when she had broken his first violin.

After a few moments of breathing exercises, just as he felt his heart beat slowing down to a normal pace, he continued his walk towards the Queen’s Hall.

Finding Magnus and making sure what he heard was a lie was his first priority.

 

Once he reached the Queen’s Hall, the page by the door announced him and opened the door for him. He went inside, and found his Mother sitting on her usual sofa, Lydia and a couple of other Selected sitting close to her. He tried not to let his eyes wander around, and walked straight to where they were.

He greeted his mother, and bent down to kiss her cheek. “It’s lovely to see you, Mother.” he said, turning towards Lydia and the other Selected surrounding his mother to bow to them, “Ladies and gentlemen.”

“What a nice surprise.” his mother said, “Weren’t you with Lady Tiana? Did you cut your date short?” she asked him, her smile still in place.

He smiled at his mother, “Yes, I was. Excuse me, Mother, there’s something I need to do.” he said to her, before turning around and heading towards where Isabelle was sitting with Prince Magnus, Princess Clarissa and the rest of their group.

He chanced a glance to the closest sofa to where they were sitting, and could see Camille sitting there. When she saw him, she smirked at him, and he could feel his anger bubbling back up.

When he reached Isabelle’s group, he greeted them, patting Isabelle’s shoulder gently as he stood there.

“Alec! Will you join us?” his sister asked enthusiastically, to which he shook his head.

“I can’t.” he smiled apologetically at them, before turning to Magnus—who was as breathtaking as ever—, he frowned at his own thoughts. “Can we talk?”

Magnus frowned, then pointed at himself.

Alec nodded, “Please.” he mumbled as he held out his hand for Magnus to take.

Magnus took his hand and stood up, a confused expression on his face. Alec didn’t bother waiting, and just strode towards the doors, practically dragging Magnus behind him.

His grip on the other’s hand began tightening as he remembered what Tiana had said. As they were walking away from where the Queen’s hall was and heading towards the White Garden, Alec could feel himself tensing up even more. He was breaking out in cold sweat and he knew that his hand that was holding Magnus’ was as cold as ice.

“Alexander, wait.” he heard the other say, but he didn’t slow down. He couldn’t have this conversation here, or anywhere near prying eyes and open ears. He needed privacy, and he hoped they would find some in the garden.

Once they were out the doors and walking through the stone-paved paths, Alec finally let go of Magnus’ hand. He didn’t stop walking, though. He continued, knowing that the other was following him by the sound of his footsteps. As soon as they were alone in the middle of the hydrangea flowerbeds, Alec finally stopped.

He didn’t turn around, keeping his back towards Magnus. He was pretty sure his face was scrunched in a scowl, and he didn’t want Magnus to see him like this.

“Alexander?” the other’s voice was soft as he called out to him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, rubbing his thumb into the palm of his hand.

“Tell you what?” Magnus asked, and Alec could hear the frown in his voice.

Alec turned towards Magnus, “How am I supposed to keep my fucking promise of keeping you here when you’re acting like this?!” he was trying his best to suppress his voice, clenching his teeth together. The voice that came out of his mouth was foreign to him, he had never sounded like this before.

Magnus frowned, shaking his head at Alec. “I don’t understand, Alexander. What are you talking about? What did I do?”

Alec was shaking, he could only take so much before exploding. Magnus must have noticed because he held both hands up, and walked slowly towards him. “Alexander, please calm down, and tell me what I did so I can fix it.”

He seemed genuinely confused and a part of Alec wanted desperately to believe in him, but the other part, the irrational one, wanted to lash out. And Alec was finding it harder by the second to keep it under control.

“Take a deep breath, please.” Magnus pleaded as he reached him, placing one of his hands tentatively on Alec’s arm. “With me, hm?”

Alec gave in, taking deep breaths one after the other with Magnus, until he could finally unclench his hands. Ashamed of how he was acting, Alec wanted to apologize. He kept his gaze on Magnus’ face, refusing to look away lest he lose his temper again.

Magnus’ hand slid down to hold his own, and he pulled him to the side towards their bench. He sat down next to Magnus, his hand still tightly held in the other man’s.

“Will you tell me what that was about?” Magnus asked him softly, patting the hand he was holding with his other one.

“I just—Tiana has said some things…” he explained, his eyes still gazing into Magnus’, to see if there was any sign of dishonesty. “She said that you were having an affair with Camille.”

Magnus instantly frowned, the gentle look on his face was no longer there, and Alec could almost see his walls building back up. “There’s no such thing.”

Alec pulled his hand away from Magnus’. “You’re lying to me.”

“I’m not.”

Alec gestured with his hands towards Magnus. “Then why did you tense up?”

“I told you it’s nothing.” Magnus sighed, avoiding Alec’s gaze.

“It’s obviously not nothing, Magnus—”

“Why do you care, anyway?” Magnus interrupted him.

“I— I have to know because I promised you I would let you stay here as long as you like, and you sneaking with Camille and letting others see you two together isn’t going to keep you here!” Alec was grasping at straws, but what he said wasn’t a lie either.

“Sneaking around with Camille?! I never did!” Magnus’ voice was beginning to get louder by the minute. “That is a complete lie! And to be honest with you, even if I did sneak around with someone else, I don’t see how that’s any of your business!”

“Of course it’s my business!” Alec retorted.

“How so? You’re not interested anyway! The only reason you’re keeping me here is because of who my Father is! You haven’t even said one word to me the past two weeks!”

When Alec didn’t say anything, Magnus stood up, about to walk away. Alec reached out and pulled Magnus back. As he stood in front of him, Alec placed his forefinger under Magnus’ chin and lifted his head up a little so that he could meet his eyes. “Who said I’m not interested?” he whispered, his voice small and broken.

Magnus swallowed, and Alec couldn’t help his eyes from darting down Magnus’ lips. “B-but, you said—”

“What I said doesn’t matter.” he shook his head, placing both his hands on Magnus’ shoulders. “Magnus, I need to know. Are you and Camille…?”

Magnus shook his head, “We’re not, Alexander.” his breath hitched, and his eyes were sad as Alec looked into them, breaking Alec’s heart. “Will you trust me?”

Alec didn’t hesitate, he immediately nodded. “I trust you.”

Magnus smiled at him, lifting his own hand up and patting Alec’s cheek. “Thank you.”

His rings felt cold on Alec’s skin, but Alec liked it. It didn’t make him feel uncomfortable, on the contrary; he leaned into it, closing his eyes to savor this moment.

Alec slowly pulled away, sitting back down on their bench. “I’m really sorry for lashing out at you.”

Magnus’ lips formed a line as he sat down next to Alec. “You’re forgiven.”

Alec buried his face in his hands, rubbing his temples to try and ease away the headache he knew he would be getting soon.

“You weren’t wrong.” Magnus broke the silence, his hand nervously playing with his finger. “It wasn’t _‘nothing’_.”

Alec sat up straight, looking as Magnus fidgeted with his rings, pulling them off and sliding them on again.

“Camille and I… we have a lot of history together.”

Alec tensed a little, but remembering what Magnus had asked of him, he let himself relax again. He would trust Magnus.

“I promise it was over before we came to Idris.” Magnus assured him, turning his head to look into Alec’s eyes. “That day, on our date, she came to my room and told me she missed me. But I sent her away, Alexander.” he shrugged, “That’s why I get the way I get when someone mentions her. It’s because of what we had.”

Alec nodded, “I’m sorry I pushed you to tell me.”

“You needed to know.” Magnus smiled at him, “I’m just not ready to talk about the rest of it, yet.”

Alec nodded again, placing his hand palm up in front of Magnus. The other man smiled, and slid his finger in between Alec’s causing his heart to flutter in his chest.

“But I promise you, Alexander, I never sneaked around with her, I never even sit with her. You can ask Catarina or even Isabelle—”

Alec shushed him, placing his finger on Magnus’ lips to stop him from talking. “I trust you.”

Alec had to deal with someone though.

Tiana’s lies were uncalled for, no matter what her reason was. He would have a long talk with her and find out what exactly she had been hoping for, and what her motives were.

If she wanted to get rid of Magnus because she felt threatened by him, then too bad for her. Because Magnus was staying here, as long as Alec could keep him… And maybe, just maybe, it could be longer than he thought it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know whether you hated this or loved it or somewhere in between. I wanna know your favorite parts too, and anything you'd maybe like to see?
> 
> \- Mar


	7. The Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dogwood tree, a kiss and a dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm back. 
> 
> I'm sorry I couldn't update last week. For personal reasons, I couldn't find the time to finish it for Thursday. And when I had the time after that, I just wasn't feeling the motivation or the muse to write. But I'm back now with a new chapter that I hope you all will enjoy! <3 
> 
> I recommend listening to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p0pe-1_xUk) while reading the ball part. It's Gramofon by Eugen Doga and it's the piece that's being played for the dance. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. 
> 
> #HHCfic for twitter. (aesthetics are there too!) 
> 
> Thanks for your patience, and please tell me if you find any mistakes lmao (no beta) 
> 
> \- Mar

It was already October, a little over three weeks have passed since Magnus arrived in Idris, and contrary to what he first thought; he was loving it.

Not just the food and the pretty gardens and the bright castle, Magnus loved everything. The servants and maids were very nice, his little group of friends were extremely lovable, and most importantly, Alexander was just… perfect.

Perfect in every possible way.

His looks, his personality and his manners. Everything was perfect.

To be honest, when Alexander had ignored him for two whole weeks after their date, Magnus had thought that that was it. He concluded that he must have either done something absolutely horrible during their date, or that Alec didn’t appreciate his nosiness.

He still didn’t know why Alexander had ignored him for those two weeks, but he had a feeling that it was Alexander’s confusion about his feelings towards Magnus. Especially when he had all but admitted to him that he was, in fact, interested in him.

_“Who said I’m not interested?”_

His heart fluttered in his chest whenever he remembered that.

Alexander seemed very torn and sad when he uttered those words, yet, his eyes conveyed just how genuine he was. Just how much he actually meant it.

Magnus knew that same-sex relationships were frowned upon by most in Idris, and he thought that just _maybe_ Alexander wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

But his delicateness, the way he gently held Magnus’ hand in his, his fingers slightly caressing the back of Magnus’ own hand, it was telling.

The way he listened intently whenever Magnus talked, the way he would stare at him as though nothing else mattered, it made Magnus think that maybe there’s more to it than he had first thought.

It has already been a week since Tiana had fed Alexander her lies, and she was no longer there. Magnus didn’t really know what had happened, or why she had lied in the first place, but he figured that if it was important, Alexander would tell him.

Therefore, he decided that since she’s gone, she’s not his problem anymore.

But like everything else in his life, there just had to be something wrong.

Camille was harassing him every chance she got. Whether it was to sit with her and chat, or her abruptly joining them when they were lounging in the Queen’s Hall, or even coming into Magnus’ room unannounced.

She had come into his room a few days ago, when Magnus wasn’t there. He came in and found her sitting on one of the sofas, wineglass in hand and a bottle on the coffee table. Magnus had instantly asked her to leave, and when she didn’t, he just turned around and left himself.

Magnus had given his maids and the guard at the door instructions to never let her in, especially when he wasn’t there. The last thing he needed was Alexander hearing about this, especially after Magnus had asked him to trust him.

He had a book in hand, and was heading towards the White Garden to do some reading. It was an assigned history book for their next lesson with Julianna and Magnus was actually really interested in learning more about Idris. It would also give him some time away from Camille and Magnus really needed that right now.

He just hoped that Alexander hadn’t brought Clary here on their date today—Their second date—, as he didn’t want to seem like he was following them or intruding on their alone time.

Magnus really liked Clary, and he thought that she would make a great Queen someday. Be it, Queen of Jade Moon, or even Queen of Idris.

Before his last encounter with Alexander, when he thought that the other man was indifferent towards him, he was secretly cheering for Clary. No one other than her—in his opinion—was more suited for Alexander. She was kind to every other Selected, and she had a good head on her tiny little shoulders. 

But now, things were different. Magnus was growing hopeful of this little spark between him and Alexander.

When he entered the garden, he slowed down and started taking in everything he could. The garden was starting to turn orange, what with Autumn approaching (practically already here, but Idris was weird in a way. Something to do with the mountains and the sun. He didn’t really know, meteorology and geology weren’t really his specialties.). It looked absolutely incredible, the trees turning from green to various hues of orange and red.

He was wandering a little further than usual, towards a dogwood tree he had noticed the first time Alexander brought him here. As he was walking closer to the tree, he could see someone laying in its shade.

The closer he got, the more confused he became. When he got close enough, he could see that it was Alexander dozing off under the tree. He crouched down next to the prince, wondering why he was there, and most importantly, where the hell was Clary?

He contemplated whether it would be okay to wake him, but then decided against it. He looked peaceful, his lashes fanned out over his cheeks, the light stubble on his face. Magnus shook his head, as much as he wanted to, he really shouldn’t be staring.

He sat down, leaning his back against the tree trunk, his ankles locked in front of him. He opened the book he had brought, and started reading.

Idris’ history was fascinating, legend has it that their people were descended from angels. The people were oppressed by the Morgenstern family, whom were the first rulers of Idris, for centuries until the Lightwoods led a revolution against them—joined by their supporters, whom were seventy percent of Idris’ population—, and won that war four centuries ago. That was when the Selection tradition began, as the Lightwoods wanted the people to feel more involved, and the Selection gave an opportunity for the public to marry into royalty. It was also when the Weekly Report began, it was established in order to make the people feel closer to their rulers. Creating a connection of sorts between the two.

It had only been half an hour or so since he arrived when Alexander stirred, causing Magnus to pause reading and look over at him. “Sleep well?” Magnus asked.

Alexander suddenly bolted upright, his eyes wide as he stared at Magnus, making him chuckle. “Why are you sleeping here?”

Alexander rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Avoiding people.”

“Oh.” Magnus said, suddenly feeling foolish for staying and wishing he had left right away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.” he moved as to get up, when he felt Alexander’s hand around his arm, stopping him.

“It’s fine.” Alexander said, giving Magnus a small sleepy smile that made his heart do a backflip in his chest. “It was a nice surprise.”

Magnus felt his face flush, making him avoid Alexander’s eyes. “Where’s Clary, anyway? Weren’t you two on a date?”

“Oh! Uh…” Alexander looked up thoughtfully.

Magnus was just about to take back his question, when Alexander said. “She _is_ on a date. I’m not.” Magnus frowned, not catching what Alexander meant. “Unless I count this as a date!” Alexander said giving Magnus a wide smile.

“I don’t mind if you do, darling, but whatever did you mean by ‘Clary is on a date’?” Magnus asked, his concern for Clary coming first.

Alexander’s eyes were unfocused as he stared at Magnus. “…what?”

“What what?”

“You just called me…?”

Magnus frowned, not knowing what Alexander was talking about. “What did I call you?”

Alexander chuckled, shaking his head. “Never mind.” he turned his body to face Magnus. “And Clary is on a Date with Jace. He really likes her, so I thought I should probably do this for him.” he said, a proud smile on his face.

“Jace, your knight?”

“Yeah.”

Magnus hummed as he looked down at his book. He didn’t know what to say, he just knew that romantic relationships weren’t allowed with anyone other than the prince. Maybe there was an exception to that rule? Maybe if the prince allowed it, it was okay?

“What’s wrong?” Alexander asked, tilting his head to the side and trying to get Magnus to look at him.

“I thought that wasn’t allowed?” Magnus finally said, looking at Alexander. “If they were caught, Clary would be kicked out.”

“I know.” Alexander said. Continuing when he caught the worried look on Magnus’ face. “Don’t worry, they won’t be caught. I made sure of it.”

“But what if they were?” Magnus asked, “Clary is a princess, she’ll be okay eventually, but Jace… he’d be in deep trouble wouldn’t he? Especially because he’s your knight. He could be arrested or flogged or something.”

Alexander paused, his face going pale as realization finally dawned on him. “Oh no.”

“Exactly.” Magnus said, “I think you should go before something happens.”

Alexander was already standing up. “I really should.”

“Wait,” Magnus said, standing up and reaching for Alexander’s hair, plucking away the grass that was stuck in it. “Be careful so that no one sees you without Clary.”

Alexander smiled at him, taking his hand in his own and kissing the back of it. It was a small fleeting kiss, but Magnus could feel his cheeks burning, having not expected Alexander to do something so bold. “Thank you, Magnus.” he said before turning around and practically running back to the castle.

Magnus stood there, watching as Alexander disappeared between the floral arches of the garden, the spot where Alexander’s lips brushed his hand was tingling.

———

As Magnus entered his room, he found Catarina sitting on a chair by the small lounge table, she had a steaming cup of herbal tea whose scent made his nose itch. He sat down on the chair facing hers, and she gestured towards the teapot.

He scrunched his nose and shook his head. “No thank you, dear.” clicking his tongue in distaste, he continued. “I don’t know how you bear drinking this.”

Catarina smiled at him, amusement apparent on her soft features. “I actually quite like the taste, mind you.”

Magnus shrugged, putting his book down on the table. “As long as you like it.”

Catarina took a sip from her cup, her eyes studying Magnus over the rim. “Where were you?”

He schooled his features, not wanting to let anything show on his face. As much as he loved and trusted Catarina, Alexander’s secrets weren’t his to tell. “I was in the garden, reading.” he answered as he gestured towards the book laying on the table between them.

“Alone?” Catarina asked, a perfectly lined eyebrow arched up in question.

“Of course.” Magnus looked up in thought. “Unless you count the birds and squirrels, then no, I wasn’t.”

Catarina hummed, then looked towards her friend. “As soon as you left the Queen’s Hall, Camille left too.” At the incredulous look Magnus gave her, she continued. “I’m not saying that you were with her, Magnus. But they’re starting to talk. Especially with how much she has been clinging to you.”

When Magnus didn’t say anything, Catarina sighed. “And then that day _he_ came and dragged you away, and we didn’t see either of you until it was dinner time. They are talking about you, and not everything they’re saying is nice.”

“Well, what do you expect me to do?” Magnus was already fed up with everyone bringing up Camille. It wasn’t his fault that she was here, and it wasn’t like he was asking her to come to him. If he could, Magnus would have nothing to do with her.

He didn’t even know why she was clinging to him like this. She had Alexander to woo, why would she ignore the main reason they were in Idris and focus on Magnus instead?

Magnus had a bad feeling about it, but he couldn’t really do anything. It was Alexander’s decision after all, and he was keeping her here. He couldn’t really go up to him and ask him to send her back to Crimson Night, could he?

Catarina reached for his hand, holding it tightly in hers. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Magnus smiled at her, squeezing her hand gratefully. “I know.” he pulled his hand away, and crossed his legs, looking over at Catarina. “Speaking of which, you’ve never told me how your date with Alexander went.” 

Catarina laughed, picking up her tea again and drinking it. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Humor me.” Magnus insisted.

“Well, we went to the castle’s private theater.” Magnus wiggled his eyebrows at the word ‘private’, causing Catarina to give him a nasty look. “We watched a movie, and then we had tea together.”

“Tea? That’s it?” 

“Yeah. What did you expect?” Catarina said, looking away from Magnus.

“You’re hiding something from me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Catarina looked him straight in the eyes as she said that. “Why would I hide anything?”

Catarina was really good at hiding her feelings, she would never let anyone know what she was thinking. Unfortunately for her, Magnus knew her too well to be fooled. He could see the way her pinky was lightly tapping at the cup; a nervous tick of hers.

The more Magnus stared at her, the faster she tapped her finger. After a while, she finally sighed, putting her cup down and folding her hands neatly on her lap. “Well, I told him about Ragnor, and that I wasn’t interested.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, he said he knew that not all of the Selected would be emotionally available.” Catarina explained, “He was totally okay with it.”

“I see.” Magnus said, looking down at his lap and picking at imaginary dust on his pants. “When are you leaving?”

Magnus hated the idea of Catarina being away from him and back in Edom. He had gotten used to her presence here, and even though he had made other friends, she was still his best friend.

“Who said I’m leaving?” Catarina raised an eyebrow at him.

Magnus frowned, confused. “Why would Alexander keep you here, if your heart already belongs to another?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you this.” Catarina scooted to the edge of her chair, folding her arms over the table. “But he asked me if I was okay with staying for a little while longer, and I said I was okay with it, but before I agreed I asked him why he wanted me here,” she paused, giving Magnus a long stare. “He said he wanted me to stay here for you.”

“What?”

Catarina chuckled at the face Magnus was making. “Apparently, he heard from Isabelle that we are best friends, and he’s worried about you for some reason.” she said, leaning back on her chair. “He didn’t tell me why he was worried, though.”

As usual, Magnus found himself surprised with how kind Alexander was. Magnus figured he really should get used to it, the man’s kindness was constant, from the very beginning. Should he thank him for thinking about him? He didn’t know whether that would be appreciated or not, since Alexander had obviously told Catarina not to tell him about it. He didn’t want to put him in an embarrassing or awkward situation.

When Magnus didn’t answer her, lost in his thoughts, she suddenly called out. “Did you tell him about Camille?”

Magnus shook his head. “Not everything.”

Catarina bit her lip, Magnus could tell she wanted to ask more, but was refraining from doing so for his own sake. She never wanted to make him upset, and that was one of the reasons Magnus loved her so much.

He smiled at her, urging her to speak. “What is it?”

“Do you like him?” She asked him, her brows furrowed in worry.

It was Magnus’ turn to bite his lip, he mulled it over in his head, did he like Alexander? He knew he did, but admitting it out loud was scary. Especially because of how he was still getting over his heartbreak.

Alexander unlocked something in him. Feelings he didn’t know were possible. Feelings he had never felt towards another person before. He liked him. A lot. He was very sure that one day, he might even fall for him.

And he would let himself fall. Even if he did know that Alexander would probably never end up choosing him, he could still love him. Loving someone wasn’t a crime, especially someone with a beautiful soul like Alexander.

“I like him.”

Catarina looked at him with pity in her eyes, she knew him just as much as he knew himself. When he falls, he falls fast and hard. “You know you’re setting yourself up for heartbreak.”

Magnus felt that like a slap, a very harsh and cold slap. “I’m not in love with him.”

“I know you’re not. At least, not yet.” she said, reaching over the table to grasp his hands in hers. “But I know you, Magnus. You’re good, and you always see the good in people. When you love someone, you give it your all. You’re one hundred percent in.” she took a deep breath, “but this is different. He’s straight. He needs a Queen, not a King Consort. And even if he wasn’t, Idris is very close-minded. As much as change would benefit them, they would never accept a homosexual king.”

Each word she said felt like needles pricking his guts. He knew, rationally, that what she was saying was true. Maybe not the part about Alexander being straight, but needing a queen, and the bigoted behavior of Idris’ citizens.

“It’s okay, Catarina. I know that.” he smiled at her, patting her hand and hoping to mask the inner turmoil her words ignited inside of him. “I won’t fall for him. I promise.”

He knew it was a lie as soon as it left his mouth.

———

Magnus was nervous. Which was saying a lot because Magnus was never nervous. His maids had given him the suit they tailored for him for tonight’s Ball, and it was impeccable. It was a deep burgundy velvet, that had black rose embroidery on the lapels, with a black collared shirt underneath. They opted against excessive jewelry, settling on a simple silver ear-cuff, and his usual MB rings.

For his makeup though, Magnus went all out. He wanted to look good, and he loved how his makeup accentuated his features. He went with black eye shadow, giving his eyes a smokey look, and added a touch of bronzer to the hollows of his cheeks, and a bit of highlighter to his cheekbones.

He heaved a sigh as he adjusted his suit. He knew he looked good—call him vain, he didn’t care— but he was still nervous.

It was the first event in the palace where they would all mingle together with royalties and nobles from other countries, Magnus was pretty sure his father had been invited, and he dreaded having to see him.

A month away from Asmodeus wasn’t enough.

Magnus loved his father. He really did. But Asmodeus was self-absorbed and selfish. Magnus knew that, in his own way, Asmodeus loved him too. He was just very bad at showing it.

He didn’t know if he would come, but he figured it was better for Asmodeus to be here than Azazel. He knew he wouldn’t survive a meeting with his older half-brother.

When Azazel was four, his mother died and Asmodeus had to get married again. That’s when he met Magnus’ mother, and they had Magnus a year later.

Magnus knew his brother hated him because he saw him as a threat, but what Azazel didn’t know was that Magnus wasn’t really interested in ruling Edom. He wasn’t interested in ruling in general. But when he was with Camille, he did think about it, and was ready to give it his all. As Camille is the crown princess of Crimson Night.

When Magnus reached the Great Hall, he saw Catarina standing to the side and made his way towards her. Everything was decorated beautifully, orange drapery and red flowers adornedthe room. Rows of tables were filled with drinks and tiny food. 

The orchestra was playing a soft melody, as people weren’t dancing yet.

“You look lovely.” Magnus complimented his friend.

“As do you.” Catarina curtsied just for the fun of it, then linked her arm with Magnus’. “I’m not used to these types of things. I’m a healer, not a peacock.” she said as she fidgeted with her dress. It was a lovely light shade of orange that complimented her skin tone really well. She had her hair up, her bangs falling prettily on her forehead.

“Believe me dear, you’re the prettiest peacock here.” Magnus tried to lighten her mood.

She gave him a look that showed she didn’t believe him.

“Magnus! Catarina!” he heard Clary’s voice behind him, and turned to greet her. She looked exceptionally beautiful in her red sleeveless ball gown. She was glowing, and Magnus had an inkling as to why. “Hi.”

“Hello, biscuit. Aren’t you a sight to behold.” it was more of a statement than a question.

“Thank you.” Clary blushed, her smile growing wider. “Have either of you seen Simon and Raphael? I have been looking for them everywhere.”

Magnus and Catarina shared a look then shook their heads.

“We’ve only just gotten here.” Catarina said.

“I wonder where they went.” Clary mused, playing with the beautiful headpiece she was wearing.

As if on cue, the pianist arrived, looking slightly flushed. “Hey.”

“Raphael! Where were you? I went to your room because I didn’t want to come alone but I didn’t find you.” Clary pouted at him.

“ _Lo siento,_ I went to the garden to get some air.” he answered, his expression impassive.

“Hey.” Simon said as he joined them, two glasses of wine in his hand. “Here you go.” he said as he handed Raphael a glass. “Sorry I don’t have more hands, would have gotten some for the rest of you.”

Magnus squinted at the two of them. There was something different about them, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

Just as he was about to ask, he heard the page—who has been announcing guests for a while now— announce Azazel. He froze, his eyes darting towards the grand doors of the Great Hall, and there he was. His brother.

He was wearing an all black tux, the only color was the red of his handkerchief sticking out of his breast pocket. He looked impeccable, as always, making Magnus snort.

He felt Catarina’s gaze on his face, and turned to smile at her. She smiled back, giving his arm a firm squeeze to remind him she’s there.

“Magnus.” Azazel’s cold voice washed over him, it made his hair stand on end.

“Azazel.” Magnus greeted him back.

Azazel’s eyes darted between his friends, then settled on Magnus again. “If you’d excuse us, I have some things to discuss with my little brother.” he dismissed his friends with a wave of his hand.

Magnus felt Catarina squeeze his arm again before she walked away with the rest of them.

“I thought Father would come.” Magnus said, as he gestured towards one of the servers to bring them drinks. God knows he would need some to survive this.

“He’s busy with other things.” Azazel said, “You know, ruling a country and all of that.”

Magnus frowned, taking a glass from the server. “So he sent you to check up on me?” he snorted, “Thanks, but I don’t need a babysitter.”

Azazel smirked, looking Magnus up and down. “I guess I didn’t need to worry. You look like you’re,” he hummed, “Failing spectacularly.”

Magnus’ eyes turned away from observing his drink to look at Azazel. “Excuse me?”

“I always knew you would never be good enough, or responsible enough, to rule a country.” Azazel mused, “And I heard through the grapevine that you’re crawling back to the Snake. What’s more, seems like the Prince is quite upset with you.” he said as he sipped his wine.

Magnus felt his heartbeat quicken in his chest, he was confused as to how Azazel would know all of that. Even if it wasn’t true, these were the rumors circulating around him. How come they reached Edom so fast?

“You’re wrong.” he said as he looked into Azazel’s eyes. “Alexander isn’t upset with me, and I’m not going back to Camille.”

Azazel smirked at him. “Right.” he finished the contents of his glass before looking back at Magnus. “Well, you better find a new royal to try impressing, Maybe Meliorn. After all, you’ll need a place to stay after getting kicked out of Idris. You don’t really want to go back to Edom, do you?”

“Prince Azazel, how nice to see you again.” Magnus startled as he heard Alexander’s voice behind him. He felt his hand settle on his waist, squeezing lightly.

“Prince Alec.” Azazel greeted, bowing back to Alexander.

“Would you mind if I borrow him?” Alexander said, not waiting for Azazel’s answer as he pulled Magnus away with him.

Alexander leaned close to his ear. “You’re shaking.” he whispered.

Magnus looked up at Alexander, his hazel eyes twinkling with worry. “He just—” Magnus took a deep breath, looking away from Alexander.

“Hey, what is it?” Alexander asked, the back of his fingers tentatively touching Magnus’ cheek.

Magnus wanted to tell him. He wanted to so badly, but knowing Alexander, he’d end up putting Magnus first. He’d keep him here even if he didn’t want him, and Magnus didn’t want that. He’d rather have nowhere to go, rather than be a burden to Alexander.

“It’s nothing.” he smiled, hoping that Alexander won’t be able to tell it was forced.

Alexander stared at him for what felt like hours, but Magnus didn’t look away from his eyes. Looking away will give _him_ away.

The orchestra started playing the first waltz piece of the night, Gramofon, one of Magnus’ favorite pieces.

“Dance with me.” Alexander requested, holding out his hand for Magnus.

Magnus took a deep breath, then reached out and took Alexander’s hand.

Alexander pulled him to the middle of the Great Hall, they were the first ones to dance, as it was customary that the Crown Prince has the first dance. Magnus just didn’t think it would be with him.

They bowed, and then he felt Alexander’s arm going around his waist, as his other hand held onto his. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Not because of Azazel’s words, not because of the eyes that were watching them, not because of the nervousness he felt at the beginning of the night. But because of the closeness between the two of them. He could make out every single blemish and scar on Alexander’s face, he felt his soft breath, saw the small smile he was trying to hide.

They were moving flawlessly together, so in sync that Magnus couldn’t help but think that this is what he was always meant to do. He was meant to dance with Alexander. As Alexander led him through the waltz, he couldn’t help but follow his every move.

As the piece reached its end, Alexander twirled Magnus away from him, then pulled him close into a dip that made Magnus’ skin tingle. Alexander smiled at him, then pulled away from him, and Magnus bowed shakily as he released the breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

The sound of clapping resonated around them, as the guests applauded the orchestra’s beautiful rendition of the melody. But all Magnus could see was the man in front of him, whom—without even knowing—has just restored Magnus’ confidence and resolve. He can do this. And he would not give a single damn about what Azazel thought or did.

Alexander’s smile widened as he bowed. “That was…”

“Incredible.” Magnus finished for him, trying to keep his smile from becoming even more obvious. “Thank you, Alexander.”

Alexander nodded at him, “I’ll see you around?” at Magnus’ nod, he walked away.

 

It was already late into the night. Magnus had spent most of his time with his friends, and occasionally with Isabelle, although she had some other duties to attend to. Like greeting the royal guests and making them feel welcome. It was a pretty fun night, despite the previous encounter with Azazel.

Magnus was talking with Catarina and Clary, not bothering to give Azazel a second glance, when he noticed something. As he looked at the dance floor, he could see Simon and Raphael dancing together. It wasn’t that _that_ was weird, but it was how Raphael was actually blushing.

Magnus would have rubbed his eyes if it weren’t for the makeup he was wearing. Closing his eyes tightly, he opened them again to make sure that what he was seeing was actually happening, and there it was; Raphael’s cheeks were flushed, a small smile on his lips as Simon blabbered on while dancing with him.

Raphael wasn’t the type to blush, nor was he the type that would actually smile at anyone. Smirk? Yes. But a Smile?

As realization dawned on Magnus, he realized why the two of them were behaving weirdly today. He smiled to himself and looked away, it wasn’t any of his business, and as long as they were happy, so was he.

“What are you smiling about?” Clary asked, nudging his side with her elbow.

Magnus jumped slightly, his side ticklish. “Nothing, biscuit.”

She wiggled her eyebrows as she looked between him and the dance floor, where Alexander was now dancing with Maia.

“I’m not a fool. If you want to dance with him again, you should tell him.” Clary said, looking at Catarina and urging her to help tease Magnus. “I doubt he’d say no.”

“Please, biscuit. No one could ever say no to me.” he smirked, twirling his wineglass.

“That’s true.” said a slithery voice causing Magnus to frown. Why wouldn’t she just leave him alone?

Clary smiled at the newcomer, but even she couldn’t muster a genuine smile for her. “Camille.”

“Hello, dear.” Camille smiled at Clary, before turning to look at Magnus. “Why aren’t you dancing? You’re usually the life of the party.” she asked as she moved closer to Magnus, running her fingers over his arm.

Just as Magnus was about to shoo her away, Clary opened her mouth. “Oh, he was just about to dance with me.” she said, holding Magnus’ hand.

Camille practically hissed at Clary, giving her a dirty look. “Why don’t you go find someone your age to play with?”

Clary frowned at her, “I’m quite comfortable right here, thanks.”

“Why don’t you find a slippery snake like yourself to dance with?” Catarina asked, crossing her arms and buffing her chest.

Camille looked at Magnus, who was smirking to himself as he drank his wine. Clary and Catarina chastising Camille was beyond amusing.

When it was obvious that Magnus wouldn’t say anything to defend her—or even acknowledge her presence—, she flipped her hair and walked away.

“What did she want?” Raphael asked as he and Simon joined them.

Magnus didn’t say anything, and just looked back at the dance floor in search of a certain raven haired man. He caught him standing towards the side, Julianna at his side whispering something as she looked directly into Magnus’ eyes.

Confused, Magnus smiled at her, but she just rolled her eyes at him and continued speaking into Alexander’s ear.

Alexander looked like he was trying his best not to just shove her to the side and walk away, Magnus had to stifle his laughter.

When Alexander noticed him watching, he walked towards them, leaving a wide-eyed Julianna behind.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Magnus was hoping his face didn’t betray how happy he was feeling.

“I hope you all enjoyed yourselves.” Alexander said as he looked at each of them.

“Certainly did,” Raphael said, giving Magnus a sidelong glance and a smirk. “Some more than others.”

Magnus swatted the back of Raphael’s head, causing Simon to pull Raphael away from Magnus. “Easy! What if you damage his musical brain?”

“Better _his_ brain than _his_ hands.” Raphael said, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head.

Magnus smirked at them. “Don’t worry, if I really wanted to hurt you, I would have.”

Alexander chuckled at their bickering, before looking at Magnus again. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice a bit lower than earlier.

The others continued chatting among themselves, but Magnus could tell that they were still listening to them. “I’m okay, Alexander.” he beamed at the other man, forever in awe of him.

“That’s good.” Alexander licked his lips nervously. “One more dance?” he asked as he held one finger up.

Magnus nodded, and the other man smiled, proud of himself. He chuckled, letting Alexander pull him to the dance floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "a kiss" in the summary was misleading, wasn't it? lol I'm not even sorry. *hides*
> 
> WHAT DID YOU THINK? Please, leave a comment to let me know :')<3
> 
> \- Mar


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